Watch the Ball
by Star Glitz
Summary: Viola goes missing. But who, where to, and why? Will Duke even want to try to find her? What's going to happen to them? There will be some strong adult themes during this story. Please be advised.
1. Catch Up

**I do not own any of these characters. I only own the plot behind my story.  
This chapter is only to set the story in place and to let you know where it begins. Next chapter is where everything starts to get interesting.  
**

The game was over, what was she supposed to do now? Viola looked over at Duke, and her heart was breaking at seeing that she upset and betrayed him. She had betrayed his trust. All that crossed her mind was, "Why didn't I just tell him sooner? He would've understood, wouldn't he?" She just wasn't sure. She thought she knew him, but she only knew him from a guy's standpoint. She never fully got the chance to think of him from a girl's standpoint. It was now time to become one hundred percent Viola and not Sebastian. From Viola's viewpoint, she just wasn't sure what to do about Duke. Her thoughts were going off in so many different directions. She thought, "Should I talk to him? Does he need his space? Does he like me? What do I do if he doesn't?"

Duke still was in shock. He couldn't believe that he had been rooming with a girl this entire time. He thought, "How could I have been so blind and stupid? It was obvious she wasn't a guy. Come on Duke, tampons." Duke had never really been comfortable around girls, and Viola had made him even more nervous now. She knew some of his innermost thoughts, and the thought of that alone was scaring him. Not even his own mother was that close to him. Unlike Viola's mother, Duke's mother just used him. He was the trophy son; she only used him for bragging rights. Thankfully though, his grandmother and him were very close before she passed away. After she was gone, he always got tongue-tied around girls. She had taught him how to respect women, but she didn't get to the whole dating part. He thought, "I can't believe she was just using me to get ahead in soccer."

Once the field was cleared, Viola left to go home with Paul. On the way back to Cornwall, Kia and Yvonne tried to cheer her up, but nothing they seemed to do worked. They knew she wanted to stay in Illyria, and they knew she wanted to be with Duke. After she assured them that she would be okay at home by herself, they all left, and Viola headed upstairs to her room. Strangely enough, her mom wasn't home, but Viola was happy with that. She wanted some alone time. After sitting on her bed and reflecting on the past two weeks, thoughts of Duke could not escape her mind. That's when she came up with a plan; she was going to personally invite him to the debutante ball. Just a few minutes later, the phone started ringing; it was Sebastian. He told his sister that he was coming over to keep her company since he had seen their parents leave together. Before they hung up the phone, Viola asked him to pick up a few things for her.

About an hour later, Sebastian walked through the front door with shopping bags in each hand. He dropped those to the floor when he saw his sister, and he rushed to give her a hug. He asked, "How you feeling?"

She said, "Not so good, but I'll survive."

He asked, "So what's all this for?"

She said, "Well, I plan on having you deliver Duke's invitation to the ball for me personally."

He asked, "And the cheese?"

She giggled and answered, "You had to be there."

He said, "Okay. Well, I'm going to go crash. See you in the morning."

She said, "Night Sebastian."

Viola then gathered all the shopping bags and headed upstairs to her room. She took out the gold box and placed a bunch of filler inside before she laid the hunk of Gouda cheese on top. Afterwards, she put an addressed invitation for the ball on top, and she put the lid on the box. After taking some red ribbon and tying it around the box, she could only hope that he would show up. She could just imagine it in her head, playing out like some romantic movie. She saw herself wandering about and thinking that he wasn't going to show up. Just when she would give up hope, there he would be. He'd be her knight in shining armor, ready to take her away with just a kiss.

The next day after lunch, Sebastian returned home to Illyria with Viola's invitation in hand. After he dropped off the package, he left the room to go and visit Olivia. She and Sebastian were getting along great, seeing that they had just met the day before. After looking at the chunk of cheese in the box and staring at the invitation, Duke decided to go to the ball. If anything, it would at least make his mother happy. So, he left to go and rent a tuxedo for the ball.

That Saturday, Viola was nervous about everything. Most of all, she was nervous about Duke. She desperately wanted him to come, but she couldn't guarantee that he was going to be there and neither could Sebastian. Duke had not uttered a word to his new roommate in fear of anything getting back to Viola. Over the past week, he had come to realize that she didn't mean to hurt him, and that she wasn't just using him. She might not have intended to fall in love in the beginning, but she did. Duke realized that he had fallen in love with her. It was her little quirks that fascinated him. Plus, she was a girl that loved soccer. A girl that was so in tuned with sports but could still manage to turn him on, he never had so much luck. Even after Paul agreed to be her escort, Viola still wasn't comfortable about the whole debutante thing. She wanted her escort to be Duke, but he hadn't showed up. So she excused herself to go outside and get some air. Meanwhile, Duke was in the ballroom sitting with his mom. He couldn't wait to get Viola alone so that he could try and talk to her.

While Viola was walking outside, she saw a figure in the shadows. She thought it was Duke, and she started saying some personal things that were on her mind. As soon as the figure came into full sight, she was completely stunned.

* * *

_My take on the story begins in the next chapter. Please review and read on._


	2. Twin Telepathy

**If you are having any troubles figuring out who a certain character is, he or she will be explained at the end of the chapter.**

She exclaimed, "Coach Pistonek!?"

He said, "Hi there Viola."

She asked, "What are you doing here?"

He said, "I want you to come back to Cornwall. I was wrong about you."

She asked, "Can we talk about this later?"

He said, "No. You embarrassed your school by playing for Illyria."

She said, "Correction, you embarrassed the school by not letting me play."

He walked closer to her, and he softly said, "And I've regretted that every day."

Viola was starting to feel uncomfortable. When he put his hand on her shoulder, she really felt uncomfortable. He said, "I've regretted letting you go every day. I miss seeing you at practice."

She responded with, "What the hell?"

Then he grabbed her by both arms and said, "I won't let them take you away from me."

She said, "If Illyria wants me to stay, then I am going to stay."

He said, "Not if I can help it."

Then he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulders. She started kicking and screaming, but he wasn't letting her go. She couldn't believe how strong he was. He had always seemed to be weak. When he realized that she wasn't going to shut-up, he threw her down to the ground and straddled her waist. He said, "Viola, I don't want to do this, but you leave me no other choice."

Just as she was about to scream again, he slammed her head against the ground causing her to black out. Then Coach Pistonek threw, the now limp, Viola back over his shoulder and put her in his SUV. He then tied her hands to her feet, duck taped her mouth, and blindfolded her before starting the vehicle and leaving the country club. Meanwhile, Olivia was getting worried about Viola. When Sebastian came backstage to prepare to be her escort, he met up with Paul, and they headed towards Olivia. Paul asked, "Did Viola come back yet?"

Sebastian asked, "Where did she go?"

Olivia said, "She went out to get some air, but I haven't seen her since."

Paul said, "I'll run outside and see if I can't find her."

But before he could turn around, Mrs. Cheryl came in to tell everyone to line up and get ready. Paul could only hope that Viola was on the other side of the stage waiting for him. After Olivia and Sebastian walked out onto the stage, Paul looked over and still didn't see Viola. Once Mrs. Cheryl called Viola's name three times, she was still no where to be found. Paul walked out onto the stage, and Mrs. Cheryl asked, "Well, where is she?"

He said, "I don't know."

Daphne yelled, "What do you mean you don't know?"

Paul said, "She had gone outside to get some air, but she did that over an hour ago."

Daphne said, "Roger…"

He said, "I'm on it."

Sebastian yelled, "So am I."

While Viola's brother and father ran out the back door, Duke was making his way towards the front door. As soon as the front doors swung open, he saw a car speeding out of the parking lot. All Duke could clearly see though were just taillights and a cloud of dust. He thought, "What is going on?" Then he walked back inside just in time to hear Viola's father say, "We can't find her."

Then there was just a loud gasp across the ballroom. Then the head of the country club came over the microphone and said, "Ladies, if you would all stay inside we will all go out and look for her. She couldn't have gotten far."

All of sudden, every guy in the building was taking off his suit jacket and heading outside. When every male was outside, Roger said, "Let's all partner up and then split up."

As they were talking, something on the ground was catching Duke's eye. He looked down and saw that the moonlight was catching the crystals on some jewelry laying in the grass. He picked it up in his hand and looked over at Sebastian. He elbowed him and whispered, "Did these belong to Viola?"

Sebastian looked down at what Duke was holding and responded, "I don't know."

Then Paul looked over and saw the hairclips he had given to Viola in Duke's hand. He asked, "Duke, where did you find those?"

He said, "In the grass. Why?"

Paul said, "I had given those to Viola to wear for tonight. I gave those to her just before she came out here."

Duke said, "Well then, she was here at one point."

After about two hours of searching the country club's grounds, they could not find her. The only clue they had was the hairclips Duke had found. Paul said, "She might have ran home. She really didn't want to do this."

Duke asked, "Well then why did she want me to come?"

Paul said, "True."

Duke asked, "She wouldn't just stand me up, would she?"

Sebastian said, "Absolutely not. She said she loved you man. Viola is not one to go throwing those words around."

Duke asked, "Well why isn't she here?"

Sebastian yelled, "I don't know man. I'm just worried about my sister right now okay. I don't know where she is, and I have this weird feeling that something's not right."

_Okay, so I found the names of these characters on the internet movie database. Coach Pistonek is Cornwall's soccer coach, Daphne is Viola's mother, and Roger is Viola's father._


	3. Hairclips

After all the men filed back into the ballroom, Daphne ran over to her ex-husband, and all he could do was shake his head no. That's when she started crying hysterically. Sebastian walked over to Olivia and said, "I have this weird feeling that something's wrong."

She asked, "What makes you say that?"

He said, "I don't know. I just feel it in my gut that something's not right with Viola."

She asked, "Do you think she may be at home, your dad's, or at Illyria?"

He said, "I sure hope so, but I doubt it. Come on, let me take you back to the dorm, and I'm going to go look for her."

She said, "Okay."

Before they left, Mrs. Cheryl went back up to the microphone and said, "Everyone, please keep Viola and her family in your prayers tonight."

As all the guests filed out of the building, Duke couldn't help but feel that he was to blame. He couldn't figure out why he thought he was to blame, but he just couldn't stop thinking about what Sebastian said. He thought, "What if something really did happen to her? It is my fault she hasn't been happy. I rejected her."

Daphne walked out the dressing room with the dress she had bought for her daughter draped over her arms. Roger was standing there, and she said, "I picked out this green one. She loves soccer so much, and I just wanted to make her happy tonight. She never got a chance to wear it."

He said, "Don't worry, she will. We'll find her."

They both left together and went back to Daphne's house. Sebastian was just dropping off Olivia when his cell-phone started ringing. He lifted up the flap and said, "Hello."

She said, "Hey Sebastian."

He said, "Hey Mom. Is Viola over there?"

She answered, "No. Is she over there?"

He said, "I'm heading to my room right now to check. We passed by the soccer field, and I didn't see her."

She said, "I'm so worried."

He said, "So am I."

Then Roger got on the phone and asked, "Sebastian, will you go run by my house?"

He said, "Sure thing Dad. I planned on going there anyways. Damn, she isn't here either."

Roger asked, "Where could she be?"

About four hours later, Viola awoke to find herself bound together and on the floor in some unknown room. She tried to say something, but her mouth was still taped shut. When she started to move her head around to see where she was, she felt the pain on the back of her head. She thought, "What the hell is going on? Where am I?" Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She looked over and saw someone coming down the stairs. After seeing that it was Coach Pistonek, she remembered everything that had happened. He walked over to her and ran his had over her cheek. He said, "You were always the feisty one. I've always liked that about you."

She mumbled, "What!"

He said, "Viola, that's why I couldn't put you on the team. That would have just given me away."

She mumbled, "You're disgusting."

He said, "Then to think that I drove you to going to Illyria."

When he almost started to cry, Viola couldn't believe what she seeing and hearing. She thought, "What a pervert!" She wanted nothing more than to just get out of there and go back to the ball. He said, "If you promise not to scream, I'll take the tape off."

She shook her head yes, and he removed the tape. She asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"

He said, "You're so beautiful Viola."

She said, "You pervert."

Then he slapped her across the face and said, "Never call me that again, if you know what's best for you little darling."

That's when he saw the look of fear in her eyes; she began to look like a deer in headlights. When Sebastian finally arrived at his father's house, he grew even angrier since there was still no sign of his sister. There was absolutely no sign of her. Duke finally arrived back at the dorms, and he went straight up to his room. He sat down on his bed, and he looked down at his hand. He still had Viola's hairclips clutched in his hand. He said aloud, "I don't want to let you go. Viola, where are you?"

* * *

_Sorry so short, but I'm just getting started. _


	4. Dreams

No one was able to go to sleep that night, especially Sebastian. His twin telepathy was taking over his body, and he could do nothing to stop it. It's like he could hear Viola crying for him and Duke. He could feel something tugging at his wrists and ankles, yet no items were binding him. That's when he knew someone had Viola held against her will, but who could it be? There was only one person he could think of - Drayton. Justin couldn't stand the fact that Viola dumped him, beat him in a soccer game, made him cry in front of a group of people, and was interested in the captain of Illyria's soccer team. He had more motives than anyone else to take Viola away. So Sebastian made a mental note to pay Justin a visit the first chance he got.

That morning when Sebastian woke up, he immediately got on his phone and called his father. He explained the premonitions he had been having. So Roger told Sebastian to meet him at Daphne's house, and they were going to go to Justin's house together to confront him. After Justin went back to the dorm to get ready, he got in his car and headed over to his mom's house. He picked up his father, and they both headed over to the Drayton's house. When the got to the front door and rang the doorbell, Justin's father happened to be the one to answer the door. He asked, "How can I help you gentlemen?"

Sebastian said, "Hi Mr. Drayton. My name is Sebastian Hastings and this is my father Roger Hastings. We were wondering if Justin was in so that we may speak with him."

He said, "Sure, just let me go get him."

A few minutes later, Justin came walking outside and was surprised to see Viola's family. He asked, "Hastings, what the hell are you doing here?"

Roger said, "Hello Justin."

He said, "Oh hi Mr. Hastings."

Sebastian asked, "Where is she Drayton?"

"Sebastian…calm down," Roger said, and then he turned to Justin and asked, "Justin, have you seen Viola?"

Justin said, "No Mr. Hastings."

Sebastian said, "Yeah right. Where are you hiding her?"

Justin said, "I swear I haven't seen her since before the ball."

Sebastian asked, "And where were you when we were all looking for her?"

Justin said, "I was outside looking for her with my father."

Sebastian asked, "Well how come I didn't see you?"

Roger said, "Son, I did see Justin."

Justin said, "Yeah, and I couldn't have done anything. In fact, I had to escort your ex-girlfriend at the ball."

Roger asked, "Justin, do you have any idea of where she might be?"

Sebastian said, "Someone has taken her dad. Viola wouldn't have left like that on her own will."

Roger said, "I know you have these feelings, but we have no idea what has happened to your sister."

Justin said, "I may not have enjoyed what your sister did to me, but I would never do anything to harm her. I'll be on the look-out for anything."

Roger said, "Thank you Justin."

He said, "No problem Mr. Hastings."

As Roger walked back to the car, Justin said, "You should learn to listen to your father."

Sebastian said, "Shut up Drayton. I know you had something to do with Viola's disappearance."

Justin said, "Whatever man. Just get out of here."

As Sebastian started walking back to the car, he yelled, "If I find out that you've done something to my sister, I'll kill you."

Justin yelled, "Well keep dreaming because that day will never come."

While Sebastian and Roger were on their way back to Daphne's house, Sebastian said, "I don't believe him for one minute."

Roger said, "Have a little faith. If he says he hasn't seen her, then trust him."

Sebastian just let that phrase go in one ear and out the other.

Meanwhile, Duke was just going crazy. Not even playing a little soccer could calm him down. His mind was just wondering off to every thought of what could have happened to Viola. At one point, he even got on his bike and drove down to the country club to look around once more. He walked around the pond just looking for any other kind of clue that he could find. As he sat on one of the benches and just stared at the water, he remembered the vehicle he had seen leaving the parking lot. He could've kicked himself for not being able to see just what kind of vehicle it was.

Coach Pistonek had Viola locked away in the basement of his house. He eventually untied her arms and legs, but not before he chained one of her legs to a steel pole in the middle of the room. Even if she did want to go anywhere, she couldn't. The basement had no windows and there was only one way out, and Coach Pistonek had that door triple locked from the outside. She just couldn't believe what was happening to her, and she didn't even want to think about what the coach was going to do to her next. After all the resisting she had given him when he was trying to chain her, she ended up with some bruised ribs, swollen lip, and a black eye. He definitely knew how to kick a ball, but he chose to use her stomach instead when decided to fight him. After he left her just laying there on the ground, she decided to try not to resist so much because she didn't want him to do anything else to her.

When Viola finally was able to fall asleep later that evening, all she could dream about was how he beat her. Coach Pistonek had sat on the floor to begin untying her, and she saw the chains in his hand. She asked, "What do you plan on doing?"

He said, "That's to make sure that you won't get away."

Before he went to cut the first of the ropes, he said, "I just want one thing before I untie you."

He cupped her face in his hand, leaned down, and kissed her. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she bit his tongue so hard that he flew back and punched her in the face. That's when the rest of the beating and harassment began. After a few kicks in the abdomen, she blacked out again, and he untied her and chained her up while she was just passed out on the floor. After he finished chaining her up, he looked at her and realized what he had done. He thought, "Oh my. I've distorted my beautiful girl. I'll make it up to her."

That same night, Duke went to sleep and had a dream about Viola. He was at the ball and decided to go looking for her before the presentation. When he got backstage, Olivia informed him that Viola was outside catching some air. So he left through the back door and walked around to the side of the building to see if he couldn't find her. He just had to see her so that he could talk to her. Duke walked over towards the pond and saw Viola standing there looking out over the water. He stopped and just gazed at how beautiful she was. Her natural beauty was just radiant and mesmerized him. As he began to walk closer to her, he heard her talking. She said, "It really means a lot to me that you're here…Say something."

He knew she was talking about him, but he didn't know who she was talking to. When he saw that she saw it was just a staff member, he stood behind her and waited for her to turn around. Once she did turn around to see him standing there, she breathed a sigh of relief to see him. She started to smile and said, "Hi."

Her smile made him feel comfortable enough to want to express his true feelings. He smiled and said, "Hi."

She asked, "So what brings you here?"

He slightly chuckled and said, "Well, a few days ago, I kissed this girl at a kissing booth. And now, I just can't seem to stop thinking about her."

Viola was relieved to hear him say that, and she responded, "Neither can she."

He started to walk closer to her, and he noticed the hairclips he had found on her jacket. He said, "Plus, I miss my roommate. I really liked him."

When they were just a few feet away from each other, she placed her hand over her heart and said, "Well, he's right in here."

Viola and Duke began to get lost in each other's eyes. She continued, "I know I should've told you who I was, but I was afraid."

He understood why, and she could read that on his face. She quietly said, "Sorry."

He said, "Well, maybe if I would've know you were a girl, we wouldn't talked like we did and got to know each other the same way. That would've been a shame."

She giggled and said, "Just so you know. Everything you told me when I was guy just made me like you so much more as a girl."

He chuckled and said, "Okay but just from here on then, everything would be just be a lot easier if you stayed a girl."

She smiled and said, "I promise."


	5. Kiss

The following morning, Sebastian now was experiencing a new feeling. His head was pounding, and his entire abdomen was sore. He just knew it; someone was abusing his sister. But if it wasn't Justin, who could it be? After having breakfast with his mom, he headed back to Illyria. When he walked into his dorm room, he found that Duke was still asleep. As soon as Sebastian bumped into his bed, Duke awoke and looked around to see who was in the room. Sebastian said, "Hey dude, it's just me."

Duke said, "Oh hey man. Any update on your sister?"

He said, "No. Have you heard anything?"

Duke answered, "No."

Sebastian said, "I don't know what it is, but I think someone's got her and is hurting her. I wake up every day feeling this new pain. But nothing has happened to me. I just know it's her trying to tell me something."

Duke said, "Damn. You know, I saw this car leaving the country club that night, but I couldn't make out anything other than the taillights."

Sebastian said, "I bet whoever it was is the one that took Viola."

Duke asked, "What kinds of pains have you been having?"

He answered, "Well, the first night it felt like something was tied around my wrists and ankles. Then this morning, my head was just pounding, and my abs are completely sore. I don't even want to imagine what's going on."

Duke said, "I know. I just hope she's alright."

Sebastian said, "Well, we had better get to class."

Duke said, "Yeah, I'll just get ready."

Neither of the guys was able to concentrate during class. Meanwhile, Viola was still locked away in the basement while Coach Pistonek went off to Cornwall. He wanted her to play on the soccer team for Cornwall, but he was going to keep her trapped in his house. It just didn't make any sense to her. She had nothing to do but just sit there and wait, wait and see what was going to happen next. Viola knew she had to find a way to get out of there. She first tried to see if there was going to be any way she could meddle her way out of the chain. Nothing she did would work. She tried for hours, but she just couldn't manage to break free of it. So once again, she just sat there and waited. Thoughts of Duke filled her mind, and she just wished she could see him again. She wanted nothing more than to just kiss him again. Thoughts of their first kiss at the kissing booth then filled her mind.

She had just traded places with Olivia at the kissing booth, and she noticed that Duke was next in line. She felt a little awkward knowing that she was about to kiss the guy she had been rooming with for a couple of days. As she watched Duke watch Olivia leave, she knew he was disappointed. Then he said, "Just my luck."

Viola cocked her head to the side and thought, "Geez…men."

He said, "No, no, no…I didn't mean it like that. You know, she's…you know, no. Okay, I mean on the other hand, you're you know also…you know."

She could tell he was getting really nervous, but she was now getting nervous too. There was something about him that now made her feel nervous. Maybe because now she was completely able to think like a girl and not like her brother. She said, "Thanks…I guess."

He said, "Yeah."

Then the little boy behind Duke said, "You don't have to flirt with her first; you're paying for it."

Duke turned to look at the boy and asked, "Why don't you just relax?"

Viola couldn't help but giggle at how nervous he was getting. When he turned back around to look at her, he just started mumbling all his words together as he started talking about kissing her. As they sat down to prepare to kiss, Viola said, "Well, it's the least I can do."

They both let out a nervous sigh of relief, and Duke said, "Uh okay, here I go."

When their lips finally connected, the spark between them sent shockwaves through both of their bodies. Viola wanted to touch him more. She reached up to put her hand on his face, and she didn't want to let his lips go. He pulled away from her and said, "Okay, I think that was one ticket's worth."

Viola didn't want to let him go, and she said, "Nah, you got a little more."

That's when their kiss became a full-on make-out session. But this time, he reached out and touched her too. When Justin came and pulled her away, it was like he pulled her out of a dream and back into reality. Just then, the door to the basement swung open, and she heard the coach start to descend the stairs. He said, "I figured I come down here to see how my little girl is doing. Plus, I thought that you should have something to eat."

He brought her a tray with a tuna sandwich and a glass of water. He said, "Got to keep that beautiful body in great shape."

She was disgusted at what he was saying, but she was hungry. It only took her a few minutes to finish the meal, and he watched her devour everything. He wanted to kiss her so bad. Once she put down her empty glass and swallowed the last bit of water, he leaned over and put his lips on hers. Viola wasn't going to let him get away with this. She pushed him away, and then he pushed her back causing her to hit the pole she was chained to. He asked, "Sweetie, when are you going to learn that you can't resist me?"

She responded, "When are you going to learn that you don't own me?"

He started to walk around her, and he devilishly said, "Oh, but I do. See, you can't get out of here, and no one knows where you are. Besides, who would want you?"

She started to mumble a few words, and he said, "Before you even say it, that idiot of captain they got over there at Illyria doesn't want you. If he did, why wasn't he there for you at the ball? You see, I was there for you."

She said, "Yeah because you kidnapped me."

He slapped her across the face, and he said, "No, I was just finding a way for us to be together."

She said, "Sebastian will find me."

He said, "Oh, you mean that stupid brother of yours that got himself kicked out of Cornwall. He's so dense that I could probably tell him where you were, and he still wouldn't find you."

As he began to walk towards the stairs, he said, "I'll let you calm down sweetie. I don't like it when you're angry."

She said, "Well, you had better get used to it."

A couple of hours later, he came back downstairs. This time he was holding a pot full of water and a sponge. He put the pot down on the floor and said, "I can still remember when you flashed everyone at the soccer game. I was so turned on, but I was so upset that you exposed yourself to everyone. I don't want others seeing what is only mine."

She said, "You're sick."

He said, "And you're filthy. Now it's time for your sponge bath."

She said, "If you think I'm going to let you near me like that, then you're the stupid one."

He said, "I thought you might say that."

He walked over to her with a towel that was soaked in chloroform and covered her mouth and nose. A few seconds later, Viola was passed out on the floor. As he began to remove Viola's articles of clothing, he saw the bruises on her body. He asked aloud, "Sweetie, why do you make me do this to you?"

After about an hour, he put a clean, blue dress on Viola, grabbed his things, and headed back upstairs. When Viola finally awoke, she awoke to a headache that was making her dizzy. She looked down and saw that she was in a dress. She asked, "What happened?"

A few minutes later, she remembered Coach Pistonek wanting to give her a sponge bath. She now knew what he did, and it disgusted her. She felt completely violated, and she couldn't help but wonder what else he had done to her while she was passed out. She felt used and abused, and Viola couldn't help but cry herself to sleep that night.


	6. Missing: Viola Hastings

As days began to turn into weeks, and weeks began to turn into months, only Viola's family still had hope that they would find her. Flyers with Viola's picture on them had been posted throughout both Illyria and Cornwall, but they were now being carried away with the breeze. Not once had there been a lead or even the tiniest clue on where Viola might be. Citizens from both towns organized search groups to try to find her, but neither town had any luck. It was like she had vanished into thin air. Viola's room stood there, empty and abandoned, but her debutante dress still lay on her bed waiting for the day that she would slip it on.

Viola's parents had strangely enough got back together through this tragic ordeal. Rather than sell her house in Cornwall, Daphne and Roger decided to keep it just in case Viola returned to it one day. They didn't want her to feel like they had abandoned her. Sebastian never gave up hope that his sister was still alive. He knew she was. He could feel her, and he could feel her pain. Some nights, he would wake up drenched in sweat, and he just knew that something was happening to his sister. His nightmares got so bad, that he even had to be transferred into a single occupant dorm room. It was bad enough that each Sebastian and Duke were taking Viola's disappearance so hard, but they just couldn't live with each other anymore because they each dealt with the pain so differently that they aggravated one another.

Olivia was beginning to worry about her boyfriend. She knew he was having a hard time dealing with his sister's disappearance, but she didn't think he would be that bad. But Olivia was determined to be there for Sebastian whenever he needed her. She knew that she couldn't Viola, but she wanted Sebastian to know that she was always going to be there for him. When Olivia came into his dorm room one morning to check on him, she found him panicking in his bed because he thought he was being beaten by someone. Olivia and his parents tried to convince him to see a counselor, but he would say, "Nothing is wrong with me. I know it's Viola. Once she is safe, then I'll be fine."

After the dance, it only took two weeks for Justin and Monique to realize that they couldn't even stand to be near one another even though they were exactly alike. Justin had been humiliated when Sebastian accused him of having something to do with Viola's disappearance, and it was then he knew that he needed to change. He spent days trying to figure out why Sebastian would even think that he could possibly do something that horrible to Viola. One evening when he sat back and reflected on he and Viola's relationship together, he did finally come to realize that he had been a jerk to her, and that she had every right to dump him. Once his demeanor changed, Justin noticed that more girls were interested in getting to know him. He began to go on a few dates, yet he felt like he was still searching for that one perfect thing in a girl. When he and the soccer team decided to go bowling one evening, it was that night that he met her - Julia. He saw her just a few allies down, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She smile at him, and he was down for the count. For their first date, Sebastian took her out to a casual restaurant and learned that Julia knew nothing about soccer. When he asked her to go with him to attend a game that his team didn't have to play in, Justin was happy when he heard her ask him to teach her everything about the game. Once that game was over, a strong bond had formed between them, and Julia never missed a chance to go watch her boyfriend play.

Duke tried to remain positive, but he finally told himself that he couldn't dwell on it anymore. Sebastian's episodes had been scaring him to death. If Sebastian's episodes were true to form, he didn't want to even imagine picturing Viola in thse situations. So Duke asked Sebastian if he would find another room. Sebastian understood, and so he moved into another room. Duke's soccer had even taken a backseat when Viola disappeared, and he knew he was going to need to pull out some amazing plays at the state championships if he was to get a college scholarship. Plus, it wasn't fair to the team to have a captain play if his heart wasn't fully in the game. So Duke told himself, "I owe it to the team Viola. It's not fair to them if my heart's not totally in it. I'm sorry."

Viola was nothing like herself anymore. The sparkle in her eyes was gone, her body that soccer had beautifully defined was now nothing but discolored skin and bones, and she was covered in nothing but bruises and cuts. Coach Pistonek had taken everything away from her, and he used force to take what she wouldn't willingly give up - which was everything. Viola was even convinced that he had taken her virginity away from her, but she couldn't be sure of it because he had drugged her with chloroform so many times. She was all alone in the basement with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, and some days even those turned against her. The only thing that kept her going though was that she was able to dream of Duke whenever she fell asleep. She'd relive every moment they spent together. She wanted nothing more than to be with him and to play soccer again. Viola pictured both her and Duke playing for Illyria, and both were sporting the bright red uniform. She saw herself running around the field, him scooping her up in his arms, and lifting her high above his head as they both laughed.

* * *

  
_Okay, I know everyone has been wondering when Viola is going to be rescued. I promise it's coming; I just want to make sure it's exactly what I want. I'm currently working on it, so I decided to give you this teaser just to let you know what's going on with everyone. Also, I know that some of you might be wondering why Justin is mentioned in the chapter since he was such a jerk to Viola in the movie. Well, I wanted to have uplifting news with all the sadness surrounding Viola and her family. Plus, he's got to make another appearance when the teams face off again for a rematch. hint hint on what's to come_


	7. So Close

A month before the state play-off's were set to take place, both Illyria and Cornwall's soccer practices were in full swing, especially Cornwall's. The team wanted nothing more than to face Illyria in the championship game and beat them. During that month, Coach Pistonek had little time to pay attention to Viola. So the physical abuse against her had ceased, but the little food she had been receiving had also ceased. No matter what happened, Coach Pistonek still held Viola's life in his hands. Even though Viola tried to concentrate on mostly happy thoughts about she and Duke, those were now quickly fading away. Viola now thought, "Look at me. Who would want me now? I look absolutely terrible. Why would Duke want me? How could he even stand to look at me when I can't even stand to look at myself?"

Then one evening after soccer practice was finished, Coach Pistonek decided to pay his captive a visit. As he walked down the stairs, he said, "You know, I think we'll actually beat Illyria without the help of you on our team."

Viola slowly lifted her head up, but she didn't respond. He said, "You see my dear because of you, Illyria's precious star player has nothing. You've ruined him Viola."

Then he threw her a sandwich and went back of upstairs. Before he closed the door, he yelled, "You're mine now, and no other guy will ever have you."

Back in Illyria, their soccer team was also in full swing at practices. Although the team's captain was back into his normal soccer routine, but his teammates couldn't help but realize that his heart still wasn't truly in it. Something was still missing, and everyone knew exactly what it was. Every day they'd see Duke come out onto the field looking for something, and they all knew he was looking for her. Toby and Andrew would try to talk to Duke about it, but Duke would just say, "Guys, I've moved on. I can't waste my life away waiting to see if she'll come back. I hope Viola comes back okay, but I can't wait for her."

When the state playoff games were finished, it was Illyria and Cornwall that were to face-off in the championship game. Illyria's team went out to Cesario's to celebrate their winning, and Coach Pistonek decided to have a barbecue at his house the following day to celebrate his team's success. Since he and the team would be out in the backyard the entire time, he was in no danger of anyone discovering his dark secret. That evening when the coach returned home to prepare for the day's events, he went downstairs to the basement. He said, "I thought I'd let you know that there is going to be a rematch game next week, and you won't be able to help that pathetic team beat us this time."

She said, "They don't need my help. They're going to kick your ass anyway."

Viola knew she had made him angry when he turned around with a stern look on his face. As he began to work over to her, she flinched in suspense of the pain she was about to endure. This time the beating was unbearable for her. Viola was nearing her breaking point, and she knew it. She didn't know how much longer her body was going to hold out. The following morning, Sebastian woke up and could barely pull himself out of bed. Olivia walked into her boyfriend's room and saw him on the floor barely moving. She asked, "Sebastian, what's wrong?"

He said, "Viola…she hasn't got much time left."

Olivia asked, "Why do you say that?"

He said, "I can barely move. Every part of my body is in extreme pain. It's so painful that it's numbing, if that makes any sense."

Around three o'clock that afternoon, Cornwall's soccer team started to arrive at the coach's house for the party. Coach Pistonek also made sure that everything was readily available outside to avoid any of the teens going into his house. Viola knew nothing of the party that was taking place just outside. When she finally awoke that day, she knew she had to find some way to get out. She knew she didn't want to die, and she sure didn't want to die in the coach's basement to be left there to rot. She had tried to escape before, yet she always failed. This day was different thought; something inside told her to give it another try. Coach Pistonek had failed to tighten the chain binding her to the pole during the last month since he had been preoccupied with the soccer team, and Viola was finally able to slip her foot through. As soon as she found her strength, Viola stood up and made her way up the stairs. She leaned her ear up against the door to see if she could hear him, and then she decided to try to bust the door down. But Viola soon discovered that there was no way she would be able to do that. Afterwards, she found a small woodchip on the ground and tried to pick the locks. Nothing was working. Viola sat up against the door and started crying. She finally was free of her chains, but she still couldn't free herself from her captive.

* * *

_Viola has finally freed herself from the chains that had binded her for six months, but will she be able to escape?_


	8. Rescue Me

_Okay, so here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. So, who's going to save Viola? Read on and find out. By the way, I'm loving the reviews. Thanks for the support, and so the story continues._

* * *

The team and their coach were all outside enjoying the barbecue, and they decided to start a game of soccer. However, their team captain was more interested in something else. Justin loved his team to death, but he gave up his one day to spend time with his girlfriend to spend with the team. Julia was the one to convince Justin to actually attend the barbecue, and that she would see him later that evening. So while the team and coach played a soccer game, Justin disappeared inside the coach's house to call Julia. He went into the kitchen, sat down at the table, and pulled out his cell-phone to call her.

When Viola heard someone enter the house and come close to the basement door, she prepared herself to run down the stairs, but she leaned her ear close to the door listen. As she began to hear a male's voice, she realized that it wasn't the coach. Someone else was in the house. Here was her chance to get help from someone she didn't even know. She began to listen closer to the conversation the male was having with someone else. She thought, "I know that voice."

It only took a few more minutes for Viola to recognize that it was Justin's voice coming from the other side of the door. That's when she started frantically beating on the door and screaming his name. In the kitchen, Justin was startled when he heard a loud banging noise. After telling Julia what he was hearing, he told her that he would call her back later. Justin then got up and started making his way towards where the noise was coming from. He leaned in closer to the door, and he actually heard a female's voice calling his name. He screamed, "Who is it? Who's there?"

Viola screamed, "Justin, is it really you?"

He screamed, "Yes this is Justin."

She screamed, "Justin, it's me. It's Viola."

Justin's eyes got wide when he heard her name. He screamed, "Viola…is it really you?"

She screamed, "Yes, please get me out of here."

As Justin fumbled with the locks, he was only able to unlock two of the three. The last one actually needed a key in order to unlock it. He screamed, "Viola, stand back. I'm going to kick the door in."

Viola backed away from the door and screamed to give Justin the go ahead. It only took two kicks for Justin to bust the lock free, and he ran down the stairs looking for Viola. When Viola literally fell into his arms, he exclaimed, "Oh my god!"

She said, "Get me out of here."

Justin held onto her arms and asked, "Did Coach do this to you."

She said, "Justin, please get me out of here."

That's was all the answer he needed. Justin then picked up Viola and ran out of the house with her in his arms and clinging on for dear life. As soon as he had her safely in his car, he buckled her in and ran to the other side to get in himself. Justin then drove away and pulled out his cell-phone. Viola asked, "Where are we going?"

He said, "I've got to get you to a hospital. I'm calling my dad and telling him to meet us there."

Viola knew exactly why Justin was calling his dad since his dad was the chief of Cornwall's police department. When Justin's father finally answered the phone, Justin told him to meet him at the hospital and gave no reason why. He just told him to be quick as possible and to bring his camera. Justin knew that Viola's condition needed to be documented. As they continued onward to the hospital, Justin asked, "What did he do to you?"

Viola didn't even want to answer that question. When he asked her again, she said, "Justin, just look at me."

By the minute, Justin was becoming more enraged. He said, "I don't understand why."

A few minutes of silence passed, and Viola asked, "Justin, why are you being so nice to me?"

He asked, "What do you mean?"

She answered, "I thought you hated me."

He said, "I did; at least, I thought I did. Viola just a few days after you disappeared, your brother came over to my house accusing me of your disappearance. I was so humiliated by that, and it was then I decided I needed to change. Then I met Julia. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. After meeting her, I knew I was wrong in how I treated you. Anyways, if she had been the one to disappear, I wouldn't care who saved her as long as someone did."

Viola then started to cry. Not only was Justin being nice, but she finally realized that she was free. Suddenly, she got scared, and Justin noticed the change in her demeanor. He asked, "What's wrong?"

She asked, "What is he going to do when he realizes that I'm gone?"

He said, "Don't worry about that. My father will see to it that he never comes near you again. Plus, I will not leave your side until my father gets there."

Then Viola started panicking. Justin said, "Don't worry Viola. No one will let him near you again. You're safe now."

Viola then looked over at Justin, with tears in her eyes, and asked, "Justin, how's my family? How's Sebastian?"

He said, "Well, your mother and father got back together and are living in Illyria. But your mother kept her house in hoping that you would someday return to it. They never gave up hope that they would find you. As for your brother, I'm not sure what's been going on with him."

She said, "And…"

Justin knew exactly who she wanted to ask about. He said, "I've only seen him once since the ball, and that was at a soccer game. After you left, his game suffered a bit. But since the playoffs, he's back on target."

Just as they were pulling up at the emergency room entrance at the hospital, Viola said, "Justin, I don't want anyone to see me like this."

He said, "Viola, they are going to take care of you. They need to see you, and we need these pictures for when we take that bastard to court. No matter how bad you think you look, everyone will be happy to see that you're here and okay."

She said, "But I'm not okay. Justin, just look at me."

He said, "I know it may seem bad Viola, but you are alive. You will get better. Look Viola, you are out of that house. Things are already beginning to look up."

She said, "But, I've missed out on the entire soccer season. There's only one month left of school, and I know I won't be able to graduate. Justin, I've been in that basement since November, and not it's April. I've been down in that hell-hole for over six months."

Justin realized that nothing he could say was going to comfort her. As Justin escorted Viola into the emergency room, his father came running in behind him. As he saw Viola being put into a wheelchair, he ran over to his son and asked, "Where did you find her?"

He said, "Dad, let's get her some help, and then I'll tell you."

As the nurses were wheeling Viola away to a room, Justin's dad handed a camera over to one of them and asked them to document every physical wound. Then Justin and his dad went into the waiting room. After sitting down, his dad asked again, "Where did you find her?"

Justin said, "Dad, you wouldn't believe it. Coach Pistonek had her locked in his basement."

His dad yelled, "What?"

Justin said, "Yeah. He had her locked down there. I was in the kitchen talking to Julia on my phone, and then I heard someone banging on the basement door. Then I heard Viola screaming my name."

Then his dad said, "Okay, let me call the station and get someone out there immediately."

Justin said, "Good idea."

Back at Coach Pistonek's house, the team had noticed that their captain had disappeared. But they just blew it off and continued on with the game. No one, not event the Coach, had any idea of what had been transpiring inside the house. About an hour later when the last team member left the house, a cop car pulled into the driveway. As the cop stepped out of the car, Coach Pistonek asked, "Is there a problem officer?"

He said, "I'm afraid there is Mr. Pistonek."

Just then another police car pulled up, and the officer continued, "Mr. Pistonek, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Viola Hastings."

He screamed, "What?!"

The officer continued, "You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can be used against you in a court of law."

After the coach was handcuffed, he was put in the back of the car and hauled away to jail. Meanwhile, the two other officers went inside the house to investigate. They needed documentations and evidence for the trial against the coach. One officer headed towards the basement, and the other officer searched the rest of the home. As the officer headed down the stairs of the basement, he was completely disgusted. The smell of human wastes overwhelmed the room, and the officer couldn't believe that someone had been living down there. Meanwhile, the other officer had made her way to the master bedroom. She walked into the room and discovered an entire shrine dedicated to Viola. He had pictures, clothing, and even a lock of her hair. A couple of hours later, they had all the pictures they needed, and bags beyond bags of physical evidence. They placed the items in the trunk and headed back to the station.


	9. Look at Me

Once the coach was securely locked away in a cell, an officer headed over to Illyria to deliver the news to Viola's parents. After the officer rang the doorbell, Roger answered and asked, "Yes officers?"

The officer asked, "Mr. Hastings?"

Roger said, "Yes, that's me."

He said, "I will need for you and your wife to come with me."

Roger asked, "Why, what's going on?"

He said, "Sir, I'm not at liberty to say right now. But that is why I need for you and your wife to come with me."

He said, "Okay, we'll be out in a minute."

Roger headed upstairs and called for his wife. After getting into the police's car, Roger and Daphne began to worry when they noticed that they were not heading to the station. They arrived at the hospital, and Daphne started panicking. She asked, "What is going on? Is my daughter dead?"

The officer escorted them inside the hospital and to the emergency waiting room. When they saw Justin and his father, the officer said, "Officer Drayton, this is Mr. and Mrs. Hastings."

He said, "Yes, we already know each other."

Roger asked, "Adam, what is going on?"

He said, "Roger, Justin found your daughter."

Daphne fell to her knees and started sobbing in happiness. Roger asked, "Where is she?"

Adam said, "She's in the examining room right now."

Daphne looked up and asked, "What's wrong with my baby?"

Adam said, "Viola has been receiving abuse for the past six months."

Justin then chimed in and said, "Coach Pistonek had her locked in his basement."

They both looked over at him and disbelief and screamed, "What?"

Adam said, "Yes, and I've already had officers sent there to arrest him."

Roger asked, "You're joking, right?"

Adam said, "Unfortunately, I'm not."

Daphne asked, "How bad is it?"

Adam said, "It's very extensive. That's why there is a doctor checking her out right now."

Daphne asked, "When can we see her?"

Adam said, "As soon as the doctor is finished, you should be able to see her. Now, I want to warn you. The Viola you remember is not the Viola you are going to see. And Roger, once Viola is released from the hospital, we will need for her to come down to the station to identify her kidnapper and to take her story."

Roger took a deep breath, letting all this news sink in, and said, "Okay."

A few minutes later, the doctor came into the room. He said, "Officer Drayton…here is your camera. All the pictures have been saved onto the memory card."

Adam said, "Thank you doctor. Justin, will you excuse us?"

Justin said, "Sure."

Once he was out of the room, Adam asked, "Okay, what's the news?"

He said, "Her wounds are highly extensive, especially to the lower abdomen. Not one part of her body was clear of any signs of abuse. She is also severely under nourished. I'm not even sure how she survived the abuse due to how malnourished she is. She has two cracked ribs, and I currently have her being escorted to a private room upstairs. She is on medication at the moment to help her relax and get some rest, and then I will have her placed on a feeding tube to get some nutrients back into her body. Also, I have contacted a psychiatrist to come in a speak with her. Miss Hastings is going to need extensive care."

Officer Drayton said, "Thank you doctor. When will her parents be able to see her?"

The doctor said, "In just a few more hours."

After the doctor left, Roger held his wife in his arms to comfort her. Then Adam said, "Well, I'm going to head back to the station to get started on this case. I have already phoned in for an officer to come and stand watch by your daughter's room."

Roger said, "Thank you so much Adam"

Once Adam left the room, he and Justin both headed to the station. Justin only went because he had to give his statement. A few hours later, Roger and Daphne were finally allowed to see their daughter. When they walked into the room, they were stunned to see the condition Viola was in. They hated seeing their daughter connected to so many tubes. As they got closer, the saw all the bruises that covered her body. Daphne asked, "How could this have happened to our little girl?"

Roger kissed her forehead and said, "I don't know. I just don't know."

Back at the dorm, Sebastian awoke from his nap, and he suddenly felt this overwhelming sense of calmness overtake him. He just couldn't understand how he could be so calm and relaxed. A few minutes later, his cell-phone started ringing. So he flipped it open and said, "Hello."

Roger said, "Hey Sebastian."

He said, "Hey Dad."

Roger said, "Son, I need you to come to the hospital ASAP."

Sebastian asked, "Why?"

Roger said, "It's Viola."

He screamed, "What?!"

Roger said, "Yes. Just get here and be careful."

Sebastian threw on some clothes and darted out of the room and towards the parking lot. When he was running through the parking lot to get to his car, Duke saw him and wondered what was going on. Sebastian peeled out, and Duke thought, "It's got to be Viola"

Thankfully, Duke and the team did not have practice that day. Duke had worked so hard to get Viola off of his mind, but thoughts of her continued to plague him. Duke was beginning to make himself paranoid as thoughts of what was going on entered his mind. He thought, "What if she's dead? Is that why Sebastian peeled out so fast? What if she's alive? Is she okay?"

He was driving himself crazy. So went grab a soccer ball and headed out to the field to clear his head. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about all of this especially since the championship game was only a week away.

When Sebastian arrived at the hospital, he met up with his father at the entrance. He asked, "What's going on?"

Roger said, "Viola, she's been found."

Sebastian asked, "Is she okay?"

Roger said, "She's alright, but she looks really bad. You won't even recognize when you see her. It's like she's a different person."

Sebastian asked, "What happened?"

Roger said, "Justin found her."

He asked, "Wait…what? Who? Where?"

Roger said, "Justin found her at Coach Pistonek's house."

He asked, "Are you serious?"

Roger said, "Yes."

Sebastian asked, "Can I see her?"

He said, "Sure. But be prepared…"

Right as Sebastian walked through the door to Viola's room, Viola was awakened by the anxiousness she was feeling. She opened her eyes and saw her whole family in the room with her. Daphne started crying, and Roger walked over to the bed. He said, "Hey sweetie."

She asked, "Dad?"

He said, "Yeah, it's me. We're all here: me, your mom, and Sebastian."

She said, "Sebastian…"

He walked over to the other side of the bed, took her hand, and said, "Yeah, I'm right here."

She said, "I felt you. I felt you coming in here."

He said, "I know. I felt all the pain you went through."

Viola asked, "Where's Mom?"

She answered, "I'm right here."

Viola said, "I'm just so sleepy."

Roger said, "Well go back to sleep. We'll still be here."

Viola said, "I don't want him to come here."

Roger said, "Don't worry. He's locked away, and there is a police officer right outside your door. You're going to be okay now."

Then Viola closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Her family left the room and finally were all able to breathe a sigh of relief that Viola was safe. It wasn't until Tuesday that Viola was fully rested and able to stay awake for more than two hours at a time. The nurse's even brought her some solid foods to start eating. That evening when Sebastian came to visit his sister, he walked in just as she was eating her dinner. He said, "I'd never thought I'd see the day a person enjoyed eating hospital food."

She said, "Well, when you've only eaten tuna sandwiches for the past couple of months, anything else is just delicious."

He smiled and sat down. He asked, "So, how are you feeling today?"

She said, "A little better. The psychiatrist came by again today."

He asked, "How did that go?"

She said, "Alright I guess."

A few minutes later, she asked, "So, how's the music?"

Sebastian was confused. He knew she didn't care about his music. He asked, "Why are you doing this Vi?"

She asked, "Doing what?"

He said, "Pretending like everything's okay. You don't have to hold back in front of me. Vi, I felt all the pain you were going through."

She said, "Sebastian, I don't even want to think about it. It was just horrible."

He said, "I know it must have been, but you can't hold it all inside. I know you Vi, and I know you don't like for people to see you break down. But you don't have to be strong in front of me; I'm your brother."

That's when she started crying. He said, "Come on Vi, talk to me."

She said, "I really can't Sebastian because I don't even know everything that happened to me. He drugged me so many times with chloroform. He could've done so many things to me while I was passed out. He'd drug me, and then I'd wake up wearing a different set of clothes. I know he touched me, and I know he's seen every part of my body. The one thing that scares me the most is that I don't know if he did or didn't."

She didn't have to say anything more because Sebastian knew exactly what she was talking about. He knew his sister held her virginity very close to her, and she didn't want to give it up to just anyone. She had wanted to wait until she knew she was truly in love. Then their parents walked into the room. Viola wiped her tears away and said, "Hey Mom, hey Dad."

Just about an hour later, all three of them left to let Viola get some rest. The following day, Sebastian and his parents went to the police station to receive updates on Viola's case. When they arrived, they were shown to Officer Drayton's office. Roger asked, "So, what information do you have so far?"

He answered, "Well, so far all I have is the documentations that my officers and I have taken. The conditions your daughter was living in, well let's just say the average person wouldn't be able to tolerate. He had her chained to a pole in his basement. The officer commented that the smell of human wastes just overwhelmed the room. Then in his bedroom, he had a shrine dedicated to Viola."

Roger said, "I'll kill him."

Adam said, "I know you would like to, but the justice system will work for you. There is no way a jury can find that man innocent. The evidence is all there, and you just have to let it work."


	10. Watching the Time

When Sebastian headed back to the hospital that day, Viola was laying down and watching television. He said, "Hey Vi."

She said, "Hey."

He asked, "How was the session?"

She said, "Okay, I guess."

He asked, "Is there anything you need?"

She said, "Yeah, I've been craving pizza for so long."

He said, "Well, as soon as you get out of here. I'll take you to Cesario's."

She said, "Cool."

He asked, "What did the doctor say?"

She said, "I think just a few more days. He also said no soccer, but yeah right."

He said, "Vi, you know you're going to need to take it easy."

She said, "I know, but I really want to play."

He said, "I know, and you will once you get better."

She said, "Mom and Dad went talk to the school. They decided it was best for me just to sit out the rest of the year and just go back and finish next year. At least I'll be able to play then."

He said, "Well, that's good."

She sighed and said, "I guess, but I'll be a year behind."

He said, "You'll be okay."

She asked, "Sebastian?"

He said, "Yeah…"

Viola asked, "How's Duke?"

Sebastian knew she would ask him that, but he wasn't sure how to answer it. He said, "He's okay. He's missed you Vi."

She asked, "Is it true that his game suffered."

He said, "A little, but he's back on. I don't know too much because he and I aren't sharing a room anymore."

She asked, "Why?"

He said, "Because we both were scaring each other. Every time he'd see me, he thought of you. Every time I was feeling your pain, he thought of you. I knew it wasn't helping him; so I moved into another room."

She said, "I want to see him."

He said, "I know. But I don't think it's a good idea for him to see you before the game. I think you should just let him relax and wait until after the game is over with."

She said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I wish I could go to the game."

He said, "That's definitely not a good idea. I'm afraid you'd get hurt. We don't need for people to find out and then swarm you."

She said, "Does he know I'm here?"

He said, "No. Justin's dad said it would be best for us not to tell anyone yet. They're keeping the press away from interviewing the coach, but it will only be a matter of time. Officer Drayton just wants you to be better and out of the hospital before that hopefully happens."

She said, "Oh."

He said, "Yeah. Even the doctors and nurses here have had to sign confidentiality agreements not to disclose that you're here."

That Saturday, Viola was still in the hospital while the championship game was going on. Thankfully, the local news station was broadcasting it, so she was able to watch the entire game. Viola and her family spent the afternoon cheering on Illyria as the won the game. After the trophy was handed over to the team, Viola watched as Justin walked over to shake Duke's hand. Just a few minutes later, the doctor came walking in. He said, "You seem excited."

Viola said, "Well, my team just won the game."

He said, "That's good, and I got even more good news. Viola, you're set to be released tomorrow. But you have to remember to take it easy. I only want you to walk around when it's necessary. Until those ribs are fully healed, you need to be resting as much as possible. The nutritionist has a menu for you and your family to follow to make sure we get your weight back to normal. Then the psychiatrist will be making weekly visits to your house."

Roger asked, "How much longer will it be until her ribs are healed?"

He said, "Just a few more weeks. I'll want her to see a doctor once a week to check on her progress too."

Daphne said, "Alright."

The doctor looked over at Viola and said, "Okay Viola. I hope everything goes okay. Just remember to take it easy."

She smiled and said, "I will."

He said, "And I hope to come see you play soccer very soon."

She said, "Don't worry, you will."

The following day, Viola left the hospital around noon, and her parents brought her back to her dad's house. Once she was finally tucked into her bed, Sebastian had a surprise for his sister. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on her door. Viola said, "Come in."

When she looked up, she saw Paul standing there. She smiled and asked, "What are you doing here?"

He said, "Well, Sebastian called me. It's so good to see you again Vi."

She said, "It's good to see you to. Come give me a hug."

As he walked over to her, she said, "Don't worry, you won't hurt me."

When he sat down, he said, "Sebastian said that no one really knows you're here. That's why he called me. He said he knew Monique and Kia would go off and tell everyone."

Viola laughed and said, "Yeah, that's probably true."

About an hour later, Paul left the house and promised to come back the following week to spend the day with Viola and give her a spa treatment. About an hour after Paul left, there was another knock at Viola's door. This time, Olivia came walking in. She came walking in with tears falling down her face. Viola said, "Awe, please don't cry."

She said, "I'm just so glad you're okay."

After talking for a few minutes, Sebastian came in to join them. Olivia asked, "So, have you seen Duke yet?"

Viola said, "No. I want to see him, but I don't want him to see me."

Olivia said, "Come on Viola."

She said, "Look at me. I look horrible."

Olivia said, "I know you think so Viola, but I know you want to see him."

Sebastian said, "And I know Duke would want to see you. That boy is crazy for you. That day you disappeared, Duke found those hairclips Paul had given you. Since that day, he placed them on that necklace he never takes off. He'd want to see you Vi."

She said, "I'm not ready."

Sebastian said, "Okay."

They had upset her. So Sebastian and Olivia left the room to go spend some time together and to let Viola calm down. While they were in Sebastian's room talking, Olivia said, "She really wants to see him."

He said, "I know."

She asked, "Do you think we should invite him over?"

Sebastian said, "No. I don't want to upset her. If she's not ready to see him, then she's not ready. The last thing we need to do right now is push her."

Olivia said, "Yeah."

Sebastian said, "But there is that soccer game that's coming up. Viola should be better by then, and I know she won't resist going to a game."

Olivia said, "Yeah, we could surprise him."

Sebastian said, "Yeah, and I'll make sure Paul comes with us."

Olivia said, "Sounds great."

The following week, Paul came over to visit with Viola, and he brought all of his hair care essentials with him. After Viola washed her hair and sat down in her chair, Paul got to work on trimming her hair and giving her some layers. He would have loved to add some highlights, but he wasn't about to make Viola go wash her hair again. Once he was finished, Viola looked in the mirror and loved her new haircut. But she started crying because all she could focus on was the bruises on her face. Paul said, "Don't worry, those will fade away soon."

She asked, "But will the pain ever go away?"

He said, "I'm not sure. That's something that only you can decide."

A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on her door. She said, "Come in."

Then Justin came walking in her room. He said, "Hey Viola, it's just me."

She said, "Hey Justin."

After giving her a hug, he said, "I love the new hair. Glad to see that you're looking better."

She asked, "You think?"

He said, "Most definitely. So, are you going to go to the all-star game in a couple of weeks?"

She asked, "What game?"

He said, "Yeah, Illyria's hosting an all-star game for players from across the state."

She asked, "Really?"

He said, "Yeah."

Paul said, "Yeah. You're brother mentioned it to me. He wanted me to go with ya'll if you decided to go."

She said, "I'll definitely want to go as long as you fix me up to where you can't see these bruises."

He said, "That I can do. In fact, I'll go buy you a whole new outfit. Since it's still a bit chilly outside, I'll get you a turtleneck and some jeans that way no one can see those bruises."

She said, "Okay. Just make me look good."

He said, "You don't need my help to look good. I just help to enhance it."

She laughed and said, "Okay."

He said, "In fact, I'll take Olivia with me when I go shopping for you."

She said, "Yeah, she'll know exactly what to get me."

That weekend, Paul, Sebastian, and Olivia went to the mall to go shopping for Viola. Paul and Olivia went looking for clothes while Sebastian was looking for something special for his sister. When Sebastian walked into the jewelry store, he found the perfect necklace for his sister. It was a white gold necklace with 2 diamond circles, one was white diamonds and the inner circle was black diamonds. He said, "She'll love it."

After his gift was purchased and packaged, he left to go find Paul and Olivia. They had also finished shopping, and Sebastian showed them what he had bought for Viola. Olivia said, "She's going to love it."

Paul said, "Yeah. Soccer themed necklace; she'll definitely love it."

When they arrived back at the house, they all rushed to Viola's room to show her what they bought. First up, Paul and Olivia showed her all the clothes they had purchased. Although they went to the mall to purchase only one outfit, they wound up buying more because they just couldn't make up their minds. Once she sifted through all the clothing bags, Sebastian handed her the velvet box. She asked, "What is this?"

Sebastian said, "Well, open in and find out."

She lifted the top of the box up and saw the necklace, and then Viola started crying. He asked, "What's wrong?"

She said, "I don't deserve it."

He said, "Yes you do. You're my sister, and I love you."

She said, "I don't deserve such beautiful things."

Sebastian asked, "Why?"

Paul said, "Viola before you even say anything, you are a beautiful person. Don't let what that creep did to you tell you otherwise."

Olivia said, "Yeah. He's the one who doesn't deserve any good things, not you."

She said, "But look at me."

Paul said, "Viola, you look lovely. I don't want to ever hear you think otherwise."

Sebastian held his sister in his arms and said, "I know the bruises are hard to overlook right now, but underneath you are a true beauty."

Then Sebastian took the necklace out of the box and clasped it around his sister's neck. She held the pendant in her hand to warm the cold metal that touched her bare skin. She said, "I do love you Sebastian."

He said, "I know. I'm just hard to resist."

He held out his arm and looked over at Olivia. She joined in on the hug and said, "Yeah, yeah…"

Just a few days before the game, Justin came by the house again to visit Viola. He said, "You're looking much better. Here…"

Then he handed her four tickets for the game. She said, "Thank you. So, what's been going on?"

He said, "Well, the rumors at school about why Coach is in jail keep intensifying."

She asked, "Does anyone know?"

He said, "I don't think so. The press is only releasing that he was arrested for assaulting a female student. My dad's seeing to it that he is not interviewed by any of the reporters either. They don't want anything to come out until you are ready. Also, I've learned from the guys at Illyria that rumors are spreading that you've been found."

She said, "I know. Olivia and Sebastian have told me. Everyone keeps asking them about it, but they just don't answer."

He said, "Duke seems more confused than ever. Although, his game has never been better."

She asked, "Really?"

He said, "Yeah. I've met Toby and Andrew. They have told me that every day at practice, it's like he's looking for something. They say he's looking for you on the field, but he denies it when asked."

She sensed that Justin was keeping something from her. She asked, "Justin, what are you not telling me?"

He said, "I don't know if I should tell you."

She said, "Tell me."

He said, "I think Duke's seeing someone."

Her eyes widened, and she screamed, "What?"

He said, "Yeah. The other day after our practice, a girl ran out onto the field and over to him."

She then went sit on her bed and said, "I don't believe it."

Then Sebastian came walking through the door. He saw his sister's eyes filled with tears and asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him and said, "Duke…he has a new girlfriend."

When Viola saw her brother turn his head in the other direction, she said, "You knew."

He said, "I didn't want to be the one to tell you."

She said, "You were going to bring me to the game and let me be blindsided when I saw him with her."

He said, "I'm sorry Viola."

She said, "Just get out of here. I want to be alone."

After both of the guys left her room, she laid down, hugged her pillow, and cried herself to sleep. Sebastian asked, "Why'd you tell her?"

He said, "She has a right to know. I figured it would be better to tell her now than to let her see it at the game."

Sebastian said, "I guess you're right."

Justin asked, "Do you think she still go to the game?"

He said, "Oh yeah. Viola wouldn't miss a soccer game for anything."

Justin said, "Okay. Well, I got you guys seats away from the crazy fans that Viola has less chance of being hurt."

He said, "Thanks man. Oh and Justin, I'm sorry about everything."

Justin said, "No problem. I understand."


	11. Update

Hey there everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am currently working on the next chapter. It's in the works, and I'm pretty sure where it's going. But, I want to make sure I get it right. The concept is there, but it's kind of fuzzy at the moment. It might take a while to put out because I just started a new job, but it should be out soon. Meanwhile, just reread and review. Maybe even drop a few thoughts on what you would like to happen? Never know, I might happen to incorporate one into the story.


	12. Rush the Field

A few days later, Paul came to the house just after lunch to get to work on Viola. Once she washed her hair, Paul blow-dried it, straightened it with a straightening iron, and left her bangs to fall parted off to the side with part of her hair pulled half up. Then it was on to her make-up. Paul used an airbrush system to put on Viola's foundation since it would better help to hide the bruises. He then just did a very light black eyeliner and a coat of mascara. Afterwards, it was just a hint of blush and some lip gloss. Viola went slip into some dark denim jeans, a red turtleneck, and some black boots. She walked out of her bathroom, and Paul said, "You look amazing."

She stood there shyly and asked, "Really?"

Then Sebastian walked in and said, "Yep, but you are missing something."

Sebastian took the necklace he had bought and clasped it around her neck. Olivia then came walking in and said, "Wow! You look great."

Viola said, "Thanks."

Olivia asked, "Ready to go?"

Viola took a deep breath and said, "I guess so."

Then everyone went pile into Paul's car and headed off to Illyria. Upon their arrival, Sebastian threw Viola an Illyria baseball cap and said, "Put this on that way no one recognizes you."

She said, "Okay."

After all four of them sat down in their seats, Viola began to get anxious. She really wanted to see Duke and couldn't wait to do so, but she also didn't want to see his girlfriend. When both teams took to the field to warm-up, Viola was on the edge of her seat when she saw him come out of the tunnel. She was absolutely mesmerized; his body hadn't changed a bit. She had always loved watching him play, but this time she had no distractions from doing so. As she continued to watch, she saw Justin look up towards the group and wave hello. She waved back just as the referee's whistle sounded to begin the game. The game was really tight, and no team was able to score a goal. Viola loved watching Duke dart across the field, and she thought he looked even sexier as his body got dirty and began to glisten from his sweat. During halftime, the group was busy talking about the game when their conversation was interrupted by Justin. Viola asked, "What are you doing up here?"

He said, "I have a surprise for you. I'm going to need you to come down to the field right before the game ends. Have Paul walk you down to the entrance."

She asked, "Why?"

He said, "Your brother will tell you. I have to get back before Coach kills me."

She said, "Okay."

After Justin left, Viola looked over at her brother, and he asked, "What?"

She asked, "Well, what is it?"

He said, "The team is going to be dedicating this game to you. And Justin thought it would be a good idea to tell everyone that you've been found. Plus, he also has a surprise for you that he wouldn't even tell me about."

When she didn't immediately respond like he thought she would have, he asked, "What's wrong/"

She said, "I'm scared."

He said, "I know, and that is why Paul is going down there with you. I'd go, but it would give away the surprise to everyone. This will be good for you. It's time for you to start interacting with people again. We can't keep you cooped up in the house forever."

Paul said, "Yeah. Kia and Yvonne will be ecstatic to know that you're back. Although they will be mad that you didn't let them know sooner."

She said, "I've been wanting to see them so much."

About five minutes before the game was to end, Viola and Paul headed down to the entrance gate. Once the staff let them on the field, they watched the rest of the game from the sidelines. Just as the game was about to end, Duke performed his famous bicycle kick and scored the only goal of the game. As the team assembled together to receive their medals, Duke was named most outstanding player, and Justin was named the state's best goalie of the year. Both of them even received athletic scholarships to the college of their choice. After Duke said his thanks, it was Justin's turn to say his thanks. After a very quick thank you, he said, "I'd like to take this time to actually say that we are actually dedicating our game today to our dear friend Viola."

Everyone bowed their head, and Justin continued, "But we have reason to rejoice now. Viola has been found, and she is here today."

As he said that, everyone in the stadium gasped. Then Justin looked over to Viola and Paul and motioned for them to join him on the stage. Viola took Paul's hand, and they walked up the stairs to join Justin. Viola then took off her hat, and the crowd gasped again. She walked over to the microphone and said, "Hello everyone. I'd like to take this time to say thank you to everyone for your undying efforts. I'd like to specially thank my savior, Mr. Justin Drayton. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be standing here before you today."

Justin said, "And we do have a surprise for you Viola. Next year, you will rejoin Illyria as captain of their soccer team."

Viola was stunned by this news. Then Coach Dinklage appeared and confirmed Justin's statement. As she hugged the Coach, she looked beyond him and saw Duke. Duke was just staring at her in disbelief; he couldn't believe that she had been found. But he also saw that the Viola he remembered and fell in love with was not the same Viola that now stood just inches away from him. Then Coach Dinklage said into the microphone, "So everyone, you may now congratulate your winning team."

Suddenly, the crowd started to rush the field. As people started running towards the stage, most of them were running towards Viola instead of the team. Paul tried to get to her before the crowds of people did, but he was unsuccessful. When Sebastian saw the people rushing his sister, he ran down to the field to try to rescue her. He just knew she was bound to get hurt. Viola stood in the middle of the raging crowd, and they started bumping into her and that was agitating the bruises and cuts that were just beginning to heal. Paul, Justin, and Duke could hear Viola screaming in pain., and all three of them tried to make their way through the crowd. One successfully made his way through the crowd, took her in his arms and said, "Don't let go. I'm going to get you out of here."


	13. Help, Security

So Viola held onto Duke, and he tried to make his way out of the crowd. But as he tried to do so, the crowd just followed him. Then some security guards weeded their way through, and one said, "Sir, I'm going to need for you to let the young lady go."

She whispered, "No, don't leave me."

Duke whispered, "Don't worry, I'm not letting you go."

Then he looked over at the guards and said, "Sir, I'm not letting her ago."

Viola dug her nails into Duke because she was scared that the guards were going to take her away from him. When the guard saw Viola start to shake in Duke's arms, he then said, "Just follow me."

A few minutes later, Duke and Viola were escorted into the security guards' office. The officer left them in there, and he returned to help disassemble the crowd and leave the stadium. As Duke sat down in a chair with Viola still in his arms, he began to run his hands down her back to try and calm her down. But he noticed that she was flinching as he did that. Viola pulled away, and Duke saw why she was flinching. Her crying had started to wash away some of the make-up, and her bruises were beginning to show. He asked, "Viola, what happened to you?"

She asked, "What do you mean?"

He wiped away her tears and said, "I see the bruises. What happened?"

Just then, a girl came walking into the room. Duke said, "Hey Katrina."

Viola looked up and saw this girl with curly blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. This girl was everything that Viola wasn't. Viola saw this girl and knew that she was a girly girl. She was in a pink t-shirt and a white pleated skirt. No hair was out of place and make-up was perfectly done. She couldn't understand what Duke saw in her because she was just so different from herself. As Viola watched her walk futher into the room, the girl stopped and cheerfully said, "Hey there Duke. Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

Viola said, "I'm sorry."

When Viola stood up, Katrina said, "You must be Viola. I've heard so much about you. I'm so glad to see that you're alright. Dukie here has been so worried about you."

Viola said, "It's nice to meet you…"

She said, "Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Katrina."

When Katrina held started to walk closer to Duke, tears started to fill Viola's eyes. Viola couldn't believe that Duke would humiliate her this way. There she was standing there in front of the man she loved but couldn't have. Viola's body was getting weak, and she was about ready to fall to the floor. Her gaze was now focused on the floor, and she felt so stupid for even thinking that Duke would still want to be with her.

* * *

**_Sorry it's been so long since the last update. What with dance competition practice, the competition being next week, and a new job, it's been just a little hard. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. Reviews keep me going. Next chapter is already in the works, but it will more than likely be two weeks before it's posted since I leave for dance competition next week. Thanks a bunches...StarGlitz_**


	14. Tell Me

She continued, "I'm Duke's cousin."

Viola said, "Cousin…"

She said, "Yeah. Oh my, you thought…"

Viola finally looked up at Katrina, and Katrina saw nothing but tears in Viola's eyes. Katrina's heart nearly hit the floor after seeing how upset Viola was. When Viola looked over at Duke, he was beat red. Katrina said, "Viola, Duke had so many problems talking to other girls. Do you think he would actually have dated someone else? You're the only girl he ever thinks about."

Duke screamed, "Katrina…."

She said, "What! It's true. You're like in love with the girl."

He said, "Katrina, please excuse us."

She smiled and said, "Okay."

Duke escorted Katrina out the room, and he said, "I'm sorry about her."

Viola asked, "Is it true?"

He asked, "What?"

She asked, "Do you love me?"

He walked over towards her, and Viola noticed her hairclips that were on his necklace. She intertwined the necklace in her fingers and said, "You have my hairclips."

He placed his hands in hers and smiled. He said, "Yeah. It was the only way I could keep you close to my heart. I thought I had lost you."

She whispered, "Me too."

Viola then noticed the tears forming in his eyes. Duke pulled her close and said, "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. If I wouldn't have…"

She said, "No. It's not your fault. No one could have ever guessed that he could have done this."

He asked, "Who?"

She said, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Duke looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. He thought, "Doesn't she trust me?"

Viola said, "I heard you have a girlfriend."

He said, "No. Whoever told you was misinformed. Viola, you know me all to well. Do you actually think I could even talk to another girl?"

She said, "I didn't know…"

He then rested his hands on the sides of her face and said, "No. I could never look at another girl. I've only wanted you."

She asked, "Really?"

He softly responded, "Yes."

Then Justin, Paul, Sebastian, and Olivia came walking into the room. Sebastian ran over to his sister and asked, "Are you alright?"

She said, "Yeah, I'm okay. They just hit me a little bit."

Duke asked, "Why, what's wrong?"

Viola said, "That's not important right now."

He whispered, "Tell me."

She said, "I don't want to talk about it."

He said, "Come on Viola."

She screamed, "I said I don't want to talk about it."

Then she ran out of the room and into the parking lot with Paul following her. Duke wanted to run after her, but Sebastian stopped him and said, "Cool it man."

Duke asked, "Why won't she tell me?"

He said, "Dude, she's been through a hell of a lot these past six months."

Duke asked, "Sebastian, who did this to her?"

Justin said, "Coach Pistonek."

Duke turned towards Justin and said, "You can't be serious."

Justin said, "But I am. I found her there; he had her locked in his basement. But that's all I'm going to say. If you want to know more, Viola's going to be the one to tell you, in her own time."

Sebastian said, "It's best not to force her to talk about anything. The trial's going to be coming up in the next couple of months. We just need to make sure she's strong enough to handle it because she will have to get up on the stand to testify. Then everyone in town is going to know what he did to her, and that is something she's terrified of. Viola doesn't like for anyone to see her vulnerable side, even me. She's only releasing so little information at a time. There are nights she still wakes up screaming because of the nightmares."

Olivia said, "You're going to have to be there for her more than ever."

Duke asked, "What if I can't help her?"

Justin said, "Just being there for her will help her. She wants you to be there. She won't admit to it, but she needs you there."

Duke said, "Well, I'm going to go back to the dorm, shower, get dressed, and then I'll go visit her."

Sebastian said, "Good idea. Here's the address to my dad's house."

He said, "Thanks. I'll see you later."

Once Sebastian and Olivia left to go join Viola and Paul, Duke looked over at Justin and asked, "How bad was it, really?"

Justin said, "Honestly, you couldn't even begin to imagine. You think she looks bad now; she looked ten times worse the day I found her. She's doing very well at hiding the bruises and the pain. My dad said the trial is going to be coming in the next few months. You're going to need to be there for her. If I know Viola, she's not going to enjoy reliving everything. If you attend the trial, be forewarned, you're not going to enjoy what you're going to hear and see."

Then Justin left, and Duke was getting somewhat scared. He thought, "Do I really want to see what happened to her? Will I be enough for her? Will I be able to handle it?"


	15. Wanting

As he walked back to the dorms, he contemplated on whether or not he should really go visit Viola. Meanwhile, Viola was at home and waiting for him to show up. She was sitting on the ledge of her window that overlooked the front yard and kept looking down the street in both directions for any sign of headlights. When Sebastian entered her room, she looked over at him and asked, "Do you think he's really going to show up?"

He went sit next to her and said, "Yeah."

She asked, "What's taking him so long?"

He said, "Vi, he had to go back and clean up. The boy doesn't want to come over here all sweaty and disgusting."

She chuckled and said, "I guess you're right."

As the minutes slowly passed by, the fewer cars that passed in front of the house. An hour passed by and still no Duke. Sebastian was now beginning to worry. Every time he passed by his sister's room, he checked in and just saw her glued to her window and holding onto a pillow for comfort. Ten o'clock neared, and Duke was still not there. The final time Sebastian went in to check on Viola, he found her asleep by the window. So he picked her, put her in her bed, and tucked her in. Sebastian whispered, "How could you do this to her? You were the one thing that kept her alive."

Duke was still in his dorm room. After taking a shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and just sat on his bed. He held her hair clips in his hand and just thought about the good times he had had with Viola when she was Sebastian. He knew things were going to be different with her now that he knew his old roommate was a girl, but he now knew things were gong to be completely different. Viola now had had her life in jeopardy, and he figured people that went through those type of experiences had scared for life. Duke wasn't sure that he was going to be able to live up to everything Viola wanted and needed. He whispered into the empty room, "I'm so sorry Viola. I can't be what you need me to be."

He slipped the hairclips off his necklace and put them inside his nightstand's drawer. Then he slipped into some boxers and tried to go to sleep. The following morning, Sebastian burst through the door of Duke's dorm room without even knocking. Duke fell out of his bed and asked, "What the hell?"

Sebastian yelled, "Yeah, what the hell is correct. What the hell were you thinking by standing up my sister? The girl is in love with you and only lived another day because she wanted nothing more than to see you again, and you just stand her up."

Duke said, "Sebastian…"

He said, "Yeah…"

Duke said, "Look man, I'm sorry."

He sarcastically stated, "Sorry…sorry doesn't forgive that I had to watch my sister wait by her window waiting to see the guy she loves."

Duke said, "Sebastian, just get out of here."

Sebastian calmed down and asked, "What's wrong man?"

Duke silently said, "I can't do it."

Sebastian said, "Huh…"

He said, "I can't be there for her like she needs me to be."

Sebastian said, "She just needs you there. No one can help Viola except for Viola. Why can't you just be there to hold her, let her talk to you on her own time, and let her cry on your shoulder? That's all she really needs from you. The rest will all just fall into place."

He said, "I don't know."

Sebastian said, "Well if you don't know that you do love her, then you don't deserve her. Until you can figure out what you want, stay away from my sister. I will not watch as you break her heart. That was the only thing that Viola wouldn't let him break, but you sure as hell are going to do it."

Duke screamed, "Just get out of here."

As Sebastian walked out of the door, he said, "Fine, whatever man. Ruin your life. I know how much you want her, and you'll find out in time that you need her just as much as she needs you."

After Sebastian left, Duke walked over to the door and slammed it shut. As his head hit his door, he pounded the door with his hands in frustration and confusion. Duke just didn't know what to do. He knew he wanted Viola, but he didn't know if he wanted the Viola that would now stand before him. He just knew that she wouldn't be the same Viola that he had grown to love. But was she really different?

Back at home, Viola was just waking up around ten in the morning when her brother came barging into the house. She ran down the stairs and knew by the look on his face that something wasn't right. She asked, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

He said, "I won't watch as that jerk breaks your heart."

Viola started crying and said, "Don't say that. He will come. He said he would."

Sebastian said, "Don't count your chickens just yet."

As Sebastian watched Viola run back into her room, he wanted to do nothing but kill both Duke and Coach Pistonek at that very moment. These two very different men were just ruining her life in very different ways. Then Sebastian thought long and hard, and he realized that he was also hurting his sister. He was putting down every last hope she was hanging on to about Duke. So he walked up to her room and lightly knocked on her door. He said, "Vi…"

She cried, "Just go away."

He said, "Vi…just talk to me. I'm sorry. I just wish I could make all the hurt go away."

She said, "It's not your fault."

He said, "And it's not yours either."

She cried, "Why is he doing this to me?"

He said, "I think he's just scared. But I really don't know. I don't know Duke as well as you do. Why do you think he's doing it?"

She said, "I don't know either. I just want him here."

He said, "I know you do."


	16. Dates

By the time graduation arrived, Duke had still not even done as much as set eyes on Viola. As every day passed, Viola's heart grew weaker. She had done nothing but live for the next day hoping to be reunited with Duke once again. Now that she was there right in front of him, she had to wait for him. During the graduation ceremony, Viola's attention was just glued to Duke. She couldn't look anywhere else. The only time her eyes were averted off into another direction was when Sebastian and Olivia's names were called. Once the ceremony was over, it was time to take some pictures. As Olivia and Sebastian took some pictures, Viola couldn't help but feel sad because she wished she could've joined them and also have Duke by her side.

Summer came and went. Viola slowly started playing soccer again. Soccer was the only thing she concentrated on because she was all alone at Illyria. By the time that tryouts arrived, Viola's game was back on and stronger. She wasn't going to let anything stop her from the one thing she loved and wouldn't abandon her. While Viola was thriving during her senior year, Olivia, Sebastian, and Duke were surviving their freshman year of college. Sebastian and Olivia were both attending the same college, but Duke was off all by himself at Wake Forest college. So he had nothing to do but focus on soccer and his studies.

When October finally rolled around, a trial date was finally set into place. The date of the trial was set for June 8. Unfortunately for Viola though, Coach Pistonek was also able to post bail. So Coach Pistonek was now back out on the streets. She knew there was a restraining order out for him to stay away from her, but she also knew if he wanted her that bad that no piece of paper was going to stop him from getting her. Viola was a little scared, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from doing what she loved. As Viola's lawyer prepared for the case, Viola's psychiatrist kept making regular weekly visits to make sure she was okay. After many tries, the psychiatrist had given up on trying to convince Viola to talk about how she was truly feeling about Duke and about what had happened. He just decided to let her go with the flow and tell him in due time. Sebastian and Olivia were still going strong, and his band was doing great playing at the local college bars.

Since Wake Forest's soccer season coincided with Illyria's soccer season, Duke nor Viola got to see the other play. Although, Viola would sometimes catch some of Duke's highlights on the nightly sports recap on TV. After soccer season ended for Illyria, Viola concentrated on her studies and focused on graduating and heading off to North Carolina with a full soccer scholarship. She was happy to know that she was going to be able to wear that "Carolina blue." The day she received her acceptance letter and scholarship information, her family to her out to eat to celebrate. Sebastian and Olivia even joined them at Cesario's to celebrate the end of their first year of college. Just a week later, Viola got another surprise; she was nominated for prom queen at Illyria. Of course she was honored, but everyone knew that she didn't like to get dressed up. But when her mom found out, she was glad to know that her daughter was finally going to be able to wear the dress that had be hanging in her closet since the debutante ball. Because Viola was still in a very shaky state with going anywhere with guys, Sebastian volunteered to be her escort for the evening. He thought it would be a good idea because Olivia had to attend the dance anyways being that she was the previous year's prom queen and had to crown the new prom king.

Just a few weeks before the trial was set to start, Viola was getting ready to attend her senior prom. Even though Viola didn't like to get dressed up, she did love the dress her mother had bought for her. Paul came over and actually decided that Viola needed a change. The whole morning, he brightened Viola's brown hair into a golden blonde. After putting in some large rollers and running his fingers through her hair, she looked in the mirror and absolutely loved what she saw. She said, "Paul, it's fantastic. I love it."

He said, "Great. Now let's get started on your make-up."

She said, "Nothing too heavy. Just natural for me."

He said, "No worries."

So he started off by putting on her foundation and powder. Afterwards, he lined her eyes with black eyeliner and used just a little bit of white iridescent eye-shadow on her lids. Then some black mascara and a light rosy pink blush on her cheeks. Lastly he took a light pink gloss and spread it across her lips. When he revealed his artwork, she said, "Great. Thanks Paul."

He said, "You're welcome my dear. Now go knock them dead."

She smiled and said, "Oh yeah."

After slipping into her dress and shoes, she put on some diamond stud earrings and the necklace her brother had given her. Viola grabbed her clutch and headed downstairs. In the living room, Sebastian and Olivia were waiting. Sebastian walked over to his sister and handed her a bouquet of red roses. Their parents were basically in tears at the sight of their son and daughter hugging. After taking some pictures, the three of them got into the limousine and headed off to take their dance pictures and eat. Meanwhile, he was getting nervous sitting in his car in the parking lot. He wasn't sure how she was going to react. It had been such a long time since they had seen one another. He was scared at what she would do when she would see him. So he sat in his car at the far end of the parking lot watching as everyone walked into the building. Then he saw her walk in with her brother and a girl, and he began to formulate a plan.


	17. Up To Date

Thanks for the reviews you guys and keep them coming because they make me keep going. Just to let you know, I have finally figured out how Duke and Viola will get together. I promise it's coming. Please keep reading and reviewing.


	18. Prom Queen?

The group walked into the dance and everyone turned to look at them. A lot of seniors walked over to Sebastian and Olivia to say hi and ask how college was going. Then a few members of the soccer team came over to Viola to ask her is she was nervous about the nomination. After assuring that she was not nervous one bit and didn't even expect to win, she, her brother, and Olivia went cut it up on the dance floor. About ten minutes before prom court was to be announced, Viola had to head to a back room with the rest of the nominees to be presented to the school. From the back corner of the room, he watched her as she danced. Her smile was mesmerizing. He missed seeing her, he missed touching her, and he just missed her. He saw that she had changed since the last time he had seen her, but it was a good change. Her body was back in it's toned shape, she had a nice tan from playing soccer, and her hair was now a sun kissed color. He loved everything about her. Being locked away from her for so long had not changed his feelings for her at all.

A few minutes later, all of the prom king and queen nominees were all on the stage waiting for the big announcement. After the prom king was announced, the crowd parted, and Olivia walked through the crowd with the crown in her hands. She crowned the new king and walked off to the side of the stage. Then came time for the announcement of the prom queen. The principal said, "And this year's prom queen is…Elizabeth Woodrow."

Viola smiled and clapped as Elizabeth took center stage to be crowned. As the crowd parted, Viola looked up and saw Duke walking through the crowd with the tiara in his hands. He walked over to Elizabeth and gently put the tiara in her hands, and then he walked straight over to Viola. As he took her hand, she looked around and saw that everyone was staring at them. She asked, "Duke, what are you doing?"

He said, "You are my queen."

She whispered, "But I didn't win."

He said, "I don't care. In my heart, you are my queen and always have been."

Then he opened his other hand, and Viola saw the two hairclips he had always kept. He lifted his hand up and gently brushed part of her hair behind her ear and placed the two clips side by side in her hair. Viola just stood there watching him and biting her lip as he delicately placed the clips in her hair. She couldn't believe what was happening. As he looked down into her eyes, he saw tears beginning to form. He cupped the side of her face in one of his hands, and she smiled as she nuzzled her face into his hand. He said, "I love you Viola."

Viola's eyes burst wide open when she heard those words escape his lips. Then he placed his other hand on the other side of her face and said, "I won't pretend that I know what you've been through. But I decided some time ago that I wanted to be here for you and will be here for you no matter what happens. I was scared not for you but for me. I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle it. I'd go to sleep every night and see your face in my dreams. I'd go to the soccer field and constantly be looking for you to be off to the side ready for me to kick the ball to. Plus, I miss my roommate. I really liked him."

She giggled, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She pointed a finger to her heart and said, "Well he's still in here."

He said, "Viola, I can't promise that I'll always be there to protect you. I can't even promise that I'll always be there for you. What I can promise is that I'll be there for you every chance I get and never let anyone come between you and I when we're together. Viola, will you be my girlfriend?"

Viola looked into his eyes, and she was silenced. She was silenced by how this amazing man was now standing before her asking her to be his. She raised her hands up his and interlocked her fingers with his. When he looked into her eyes, he saw sadness start to creep into them. He asked, "What's wrong?"

She said, "I'm scared."

He said, "Viola, I would never dare hurt you like he did."

She said, "I know, but I'm still scared."

He said, "And that's okay. But I will tough it out with you every step of the way. That is, if you'll let me…"

After a few more seconds of silence, he said, "Please let me be there. Let me be there to hold you, to have a shoulder for you to cry on, and a kiss to comfort you. I want to be there for you."

As one tear fell down her face, she lightly whispered, "Okay."

He asked, "What did you say?"

She looked into his eyes and said, "Okay."

He asked, "Really?"

She smiled, took a deep breath, and said, "Yes."

When she wrapped her hands around his head and pulled him in for a kiss, Sebastian and Olivia were finally able to breathe. Then the entire crowd started to cheer. After she pulled away, she removed her lipgloss from his lips with her thumb. She whispered, "I've always been waiting for you."

He whispered, "I know. I'm sorry I took so long."

She whispered, "It's okay; you're here now."

Then the principal asked, "Elizabeth and John, if you don't mind, we'd like to ask if Viola and Duke can join in on your dance?"

They happily obliged, and the two couples took to the center of the dance floor. David Grey's "This Year's Love" began to play through the speakers, and Duke wrapped his arms around Viola's waist. Viola and Duke swayed back and forth to the music, and Duke thought he heard his girlfriend say something. He asked, "What did you say sweetie?"

She said, "I love you."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss his girlfriend. Then he responded, "I love you too."

He pulled her tighter and never wanted to let her go. After the song was finished, Olivia ran over to Viola and pulled her into a hug. Sebastian walked over to Duke and said, "Finally man… I can't believe it took you so long."

Duke said, "Well, I had to wait for the right time."

Sebastian pulled him aside and asked, "So, are you ready to tough it out with her during the trial?"

He said, "Absolutely."

Sebastian said, "Good. I'm glad to know you'll be there for her."

Olivia said, "I'm ready to go. How about you guys?"

Everyone agreed, but Duke said, "Give me a sec. Just have to run to the bathroom."

Duke ran into the empty bathroom, and he heard the bathroom door open just as he finished peeing. After he zipped up his pants, somebody from behind pushed his head against the tiled wall. He fell to the floor screaming, "What the hell!"

When Duke looked up to see who had pushed him, he couldn't see a thing. All he heard was, "Stay away from my girl."

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**Well, they're finally together...But how long will they be able to stay together? Stay tuned...**


	19. Riding Home

Then he heard the door close, and Duke tried to stand up. After taking hold of the sink, he was able to pull himself up. He looked into the mirror and saw that he had a big and bloody bump on his head. So he turned on the water and washed away the blood. Duke then walked out and went to find his girlfriend and friends. When Viola saw Duke walking towards her with his hand on his head, she knew something was wrong. She ran to meet him and asked, "What happened?"

He answered, "Someone pushed me into the wall and told me to stay away from his girl."

Viola's eyes grew wide with fear, and she said, "He's here."

Duke said, "No way. He wouldn't dare with all these people."

Viola said, "Duke, we need to get out of here. I just know it's him."

He hugged her and said, "Okay. Just stay with me."

Sebastian said, "We'll follow you guys to my house."

Duke said, "Okay. Viola, just don't let go."

She said, "I won't."

Sebastian said, "Come on you guys. Heaven knows where he's at right now."

After Sebastian and Olivia walked the couple to Duke's car, they ran to get into limousine. Sebastian said, "Driver, please follow them and don't let them out of your sight."

He said, "Yes sir."

But when the limousine continued straight instead of turning down Sebastian's street, he said, "Sir, I told you to follow that car."

He responded, "I would, but I'm not supposed to come within so many yards of your sister."

That's when Olivia began to get really scared, and Sebastian realized that it was Coach Pistonek in the driver's seat. He asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He said, "Your sister is making my life a living hell by not being with me; so I'm going to make her life a living hell as well."

Olivia leaned close to Sebastian and said, "I'm scared."

He whispered, "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."

Coach Pistonek said, "Don't worry sweetie, I don't want you. I'm in love with Viola."

Sebastian said, "You sicko. Stay away from my sister!"

When Duke and Viola arrived at her house, they got out of the car and noticed that the limousine was no longer behind them. Duke said, "They must want some time alone together."

She said, "I wouldn't that myself."

He smiled and walked over to his girlfriend. He slid his hand on the side of her face and leaned in to kiss her. Meanwhile, Coach Pistonek had stopped the limousine at the local park, and he went pull the couple out of the back of the car. After pushing Olivia to the ground, he kicked Sebastian in the stomach and said, "You had better tell that jerk to keep his hands off my girl. She is mine and will forever be mine. If I can't have her, then no one will."

After the limousine skidded away, Olivia held onto her boyfriend and asked, "Are you okay?"

He said, "Yeah, but we need to get to Viola. He won't stop until he gets her."

Olivia pulled out her cell-phone from her purse and started to dial Viola's number. He said, "No, don't call Viola. I don't want to worry her just yet. I want her to have a good night for once. Dial this number…"

A few seconds later, he said, "Hello."

She said, "Hi Justin, this is Sebastian's girlfriend Olivia."

He asked, "How can I help you?"

She asked, "Can you please come pick me and Sebastian up at the park? We had an unexpected little visit from a certain coach."

He said, "No way."

She said, "Yes. We're not letting Viola know just yet because Duke finally asked her to be his girlfriend, and we want them to enjoy tonight."

He said, "Well, that's great. Yeah, Julia and I will be there in a bit. Just hang in there."

As Justin hung up the phone, Julia asked, "What happened?"

He said, "He's going after her family now. That was Viola's brother's girlfriend. Some way or another, he found them at the park, and she asked me if I could go pick them up."

She said, "Well let's go, but we need to tell your father first."

After running downstairs to tell his father, Justin and Julia left to go get Sebastian and Olivia. When Justin and Julia arrived at the park, they saw Olivia and Sebastian, all dressed up, sitting on one of the park benches. The couple walked over to them and asked, "What happened?"

Sebastian said, "The coach, he was our limousine driver. He drove us out here and told us that Viola would only be his. He even attacked Duke at the dance. He's violating the restraining order."

Justin said, "Yeah. I'll let my dad know, and we'll see if he can't get someone to keep watch over the house that way he can't get near her."

Olivia said, "He's not going near her…he's going after everyone else."

Sebastian said, "But he did say that if he couldn't have her that no one else could. He's going to find some way to get her. I just feel it."


	20. Not Again

**Sorry it took so long for this chapter, but Hurricane Gustav and Hurrican Ike interrupted the progress for a bit. **

**Please review...**When Sebastian and Olivia finally arrived at the house, Duke and Viola were inside and asleep on the couch. Olivia slipped into Viola's room and Sebastian went to his room without waking up the couple. As Sebastian and Olivia lay in his bed trying to fall asleep, she said, "You know, you do need to tell your sister about what happened. She needs to know."

* * *

He said, "I know, but I don't want her worrying. The trial is scaring her enough right now."

She said, "But, she needs to know that he's looking to get her back that way she can be prepared."

He said, "I'll tell her tomorrow."

She said, "You'd better, or I will."

Thirty minutes later, the couple was asleep. The following morning, the two couples awoke to the smell of Viola's mother cooking breakfast. After everyone made there way to the dining room, Olivia nudged Sebastian in the stomach, and he said, "Viola…I think we may have a problem."

She smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sebastian answered, "Coach Pistonek, he was driving the limousine last night after we left the dance. He kind of hurt me but not bad. He said that he's not going after you, but he won't let no one else have you. Which means…"

Olivia finished, "He's going after everyone else."

Viola threw her napkin on the table and ran upstairs. Duke ran after her and found her on the floor of her room crying. He knelt beside her and said, "Don't worry. I'm here now."

She said, "That's the problem. I don't want him to hurt you."

He said, "He won't. I won't let him hurt me just like I won't let him hurt you. Don't worry about me. The trial's just around the corner, and then he'll be locked away for a long time. Then you'll just be a little ways away from me at North Carolina playing soccer."

She smiled, and he said, "There's that smile that I love."

He hugged her, and Viola asked, "When do you leave?"

He smiled and said, "I'm not. I'm not leaving you until the trial is over. Your mom and dad said it was okay for me to stay here with you."

She asked, "But how did…?"

He smirked and said, "I talked to them about a month ago. I asked them if it would be okay for me to date you."

She asked, "You asked their permission?"

He said, "Yes."

She kissed him and said, "Awe, you're so sweet."

He said, "Come on, I'm hungry."

She giggled, and they ran downstairs to have some breakfast. About an hour later, Justin's father showed up with some round the clock security. Up until the trial, the group of friends stuck together, and the on-duty security officer followed them wherever they went. A week before the trial began, the family's lawyer stopped by the house frequently to question Viola and prepare her for what was to happen in the courtroom. Once the lawyer learned of the beatings to both Sebastian and Duke, he also prepared both of the guys to take the stand. Justin even stopped by the house to get prepared for the trial.

That Friday, Duke awoke early and saw his girlfriend sound asleep next to him. As he kissed her cheek, he saw a smile form on her face, but she didn't wake up. Duke wanted to do something special for her. So he got out of bed, got dressed, and headed outside to his car. After leaving the grocery store, he walked over to the bags in the trunk of his car. As he closed the trunk, he heard, "She'll never truly love you."

Duke looked over his should and saw the man who had terrorized his girlfriend all those months. Duke said, "So, you're him."

He said, "Yes, I'm the MAN Viola is in love with."

Duke chucked and shook his head at that comment. Coach Pistonek responded, "Laugh all you want boy, but Viola is mine."

Duke said, "I don't know what it is going to take for you to get it. Viola doesn't want you. She can't stand you."

Coach Pistonek said, "She doesn't know what she wants."

Duke said, "She wants me."

Coach Pistonek said, "That's what you think."

Suddenly, the coach wrapped a chloroformed-soaked cloth around Duke's face until he was down on the ground passed out. Then he dragged Duke to his car and threw him in the back seat. When the car finally stopped, it was in the middle of Cornwall's soccer field. The coach threw Duke's body to the ground and began to just beat him as hard as he physically could. After thirty minutes of continuous rampage, Coach Pistonek left Duke there for dead.

Around ten that morning, Viola woke up to find her bed half empty. When she went downstairs to find Duke, she was surprised to see that he was no where to be found. So she attempted to call his cell phone, but she was directed to his voicemail. As the day continued to pass, her degree of worriment increased by the hour. By the time that dinner rolled around, she was in a complete state of panic. Viola ran up to her room, grabbed the phone, and called Justin. He answered, "Hello."

She asked, "Have you seen Duke?"

He asked, "Viola?"

She said, "Yeah. Justin, have you seen Duke?"

He said, "No. Why?"

She said, "I haven't seen him all day. He was gone before I woke up, and I can't get in touch with him. His phone goes straight to voicemail. I don't know what to do."

He said, "Well, first you need to calm down. He's going to be fine."

She asked, "What if Coach Pistonek got to him?"

He said, "Don't worry, Duke can take care of himself."

She said, "Justin, we have to find him."

He said, "We will. I'll call my dad and let him know."

At five o'clock that afternoon, Duke awoke with a horrible headache, but the shooting pains throughout his entire body outweighed the headache. He tried to move, but he just couldn't make his legs or arms do anything he wanted. He tried to look around to see where he was, but he didn't recognize a thing. His eyes were so swollen that he could barely even see the grass in front of his face. Duke didn't know what he was going to do. Just a few minutes later, the groundskeeper arrived and saw a young man in the center of the field. He walked closer and noticed that the boy didn't seem to be moving. When he got right next to Duke's body, he discovered that the battered and bruised young man was still breathing. So the groundskeeper reached for his cell phone to dial for an ambulance. As he talked with the dispatcher, he said to Duke, "Don't worry young man, help is on the way."


	21. Just Get Here

The cops were the first ones to arrive, and the officer noticed that the young man laying before them was the one that fit the description the captain had put out on the missing man. While they waited for the ambulance to arrive, the officer radioed the captain to let him know that he had found Duke. Once the captain received the news, he rushed over to the scene. Looking down at Duke, he couldn't believe that Coach Pistonek would stoop to these such levels. Then the captain radioed the security guard at Viola's house and informed him that no one was allowed to leave the house without a police escort under no circumstances. Once Duke was transported to the hospital, Captain Drayton phoned Viola's father so that he could break the news to his daughter.

Roger had a heavy heart in knowing the news about Duke. He didn't know how he was going to break it to Viola, but he knew she deserved to know. So he walked upstairs and found his daughter staring out the window of her room. He said, "Sweetheart…"

She asked, "Dad, have you heard anything?"

He sat down beside her and said, "Yes. Captain Drayton just phoned me. They found Duke."

She could tell by the tone in her father's voice that something was wrong. She asked, "What's wrong? Is he okay?"

He said, "He's at the hospital right now. He was beaten pretty badly, but he's okay. They found him at Cornwall's soccer field."

Viola slowly turned her head to look out her window, and her father could see the tears falling down her face. She whispered, "Will it ever stop?"

He said, "Yes…in just a few weeks that jerk will be in jail, and he will not bother you anymore."

She asked, "Do you truly think he will never bother me again?"

He just looked at his daughter, and she continued, "What he did to me is going to be with me forever. Duke will have to put up with this forever."

He said, "But Duke doesn't care. He wants to be there for you. He told me so himself when he asked for our permission to date you."

She said, "I know, but I never thought that he would go after Duke. I never thought he would go after my family."

He asked, "I know what we can do, how about we go and visit Duke?"

She said, "Ya'll go. I just want to be alone for a while."

He kissed her head and said, "Alright sweetheart. Call me when you're ready to join us."

Viola did not move from that spot. Even once everyone left, she stayed there staring out the window. As rain started to hit against the window, she knew what she had to do to stop the preying on her loved ones. She knew that if she didn't do what she needed to do, he would continue. The man needed to be stopped, and Viola knew exactly what it would take for him to stop. After changing into some track pants and a jacket, she grabbed her bag of needed items and was about to sneak out of her window when the phone rang. She ran to pick it up and said, "Hello."

Sebastian said, "He's going to be fine Viola, but he would like to see you."

She said, "I need to do something."

He asked, "And what is that?"

Then Sebastian was met with silence on the other end of the phone. Then Viola choked out, "Tell Duke…tell Duke I love him."

Before Sebastian could say anything, he heard the other end of the phone go dead. When he tried calling Viola back, her phone went straight to voicemail. Sebastian walked back into Duke's hospital room, and Duke asked, "Is she coming?"

Sebastian said, "I don't know. She sounds upset."

Duke said, "I'd better call her."

Sebastian said, "Her phone's going straight to voicemail."

Roger said, "Son, get some sleep, and we'll bring her here in the morning."

Duke said, "Just have her call me as soon as possible. I just need to talk to her."

Roger said, "We will. See you tomorrow."

Before Sebastian left the room, Duke said, "Sebastian, tell her I'm alright. Tell her I'll be okay."

He said, "I will. See you later man."

Duke said, "Yeah."

Sebastian said, "And Viola said she loves you."

When the three of the them arrived back at the house, everything was still as it should have been. But when Sebastian walked into Viola's room, he found it to be empty.


	22. Fate

After calling the hospital and discovering that Viola was not there either, Roger called Adam to have the police start looking for his daughter. Roger asked, "Sebastian, did she say anything to you?'

He said, "No…except to tell Duke that she loved him."

Daphne said, "I hope she's okay."

Sebastian said, "I have this eerie feeling. Something's not right."

Roger said, "Well, everyone is out looking for her. There's nothing really more that we can do. Let's just try to get some sleep, and we'll call her phone in the morning."

The family finally settled in for the night. Viola walked the cold, dark streets of Cornwall just waiting, waiting for the inevitable to happen. She knew he would find her. She wanted him to find her. She would rather be tortured than watch the people she loved be tortured because of her. Viola looked up and saw a pair of headlights at the end of the street. Here it was; here awaited her eternal fate.

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_Just thought I'd give a little teaser while I'm working on the next full chapter._


	23. And So It Begins

**Sorry for the long wait but here is the next chapter in this saga. Please review......love hearing from everyone.

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**

As the vehicle came closer, a pair of blue and red lights flashed. The car stopped, and Adam went charging out of the front seat. He screamed, "Viola, what on earth are you doing?"

She fell to her knees and screamed, "I just want it to end."

He knelt down beside her and said, "The trial starts next week. Soon, it will all be over. You can't give up now."

She said, "Yes I can because it will never end. He will forever be with me."

He said, "His memory will, but eventually you will allow yourself to be free from his grasp. But only you can do that. You have to want to do that. No one else can do it for you."

She said, "I can't go home. He knows where I'm at if I go there."

He said, "Then you shall come stay with my family. I know Justin was worried about you. He'll make sure that you're okay."

She just nodded, and he escorted her to the car. Immediately after entering the Drayton's home, Justin ran to her and enveloped her in his arms. He said, "Come on, I have the guest room ready for you."

She asked, "Does my family know I'm here?"

He said, "No, but they do know that you are okay."

She said, "Alright."

As soon as she had taken a shower and dressed for bed, Justin came into the room to find her on the bed crying. He sat next to her and heard her mumble, "I just want it to all be over with."

He understood exactly what she was saying. He said, "You can't really want that Viola. You have so much to live for. You're family loves you and would do anything for you. You have that soccer scholarship to fulfill in the fall. I know how much you love soccer, and I know you wouldn't give that up just because of some nutcase. Lastly, there is a guy laying in a hospital that fought to survive just so that he could see you again. Viola, Duke loves you. He wants to be with you, and I know you want to be with him. Now, the only way that can happen is if you are here to be with him."

She said, "I do love him."

He smiled and said, "Good. Then let that be the reason why you stay. Let that be the reason to live. As soon as you allow yourself, you will live again."

A few minutes later, Justin caught Viola yawning. He said, "Come on now, you need some sleep."

So she crawled under the covers, and he tucked her in. He said, "Well, you know I'm in the next room if you need me."

She said, "Thanks Justin."

He kissed her on the forehead and said, "No problem. Now get some sleep."

She said, "I don't want Duke to know where I am. It's best that he knows as little as possible."

He said, "Okay. I understand."

She said, "Just tell him I love him."

He said, "I will. Now go to sleep."

When he heard a light giggle, he smiled. For the next few days, Viola's family and Duke remained in the dark about her whereabouts. They were glad to know she was okay, but they desperately wanted to see her. Adam refused to budge. He just reminded them that it was best not to know where she was. Meanwhile, Justin and Viola had some interesting times to make the days pass by quicker. Every board game and puzzle in the house was opened up and completed. He and his family especially loved the nightly card games around the table after dinner. Justin even made sure that he and his girlfriend's dates were away from the house so that she didn't acquire any information on Viola's whereabouts. When Justin was gone, Viola just crawled into bed and enjoyed the company of a good book.

Finally, the first day of the trial arrived. Adam, Justin, and Viola arrived at the courthouse several hours early along with Viola's family. As soon as they all entered the same room, her family embraced her in a much need family hug. After many tearful rejoices, Viola and her mother excused themselves to the ladies' room so that Viola could change into more appropriate attire. Viola was finishing up her light makeup when her mom handed her something and said, "Duke wanted me to give this to you."

Viola held a piece of paper in her hand and felt a slight nervousness when she prepared to open it. As he unfolded the paper, she recognized the familiar handwriting. She read:

_My Dearest Viola,  
I'm so glad to hear that you are alright. I do love you too. I'm sorry that I cannot physically  
be there with you, but I am always by your side. I'm here, cheering you on, and I will be  
waiting for you. Do not worry, I am alright. Good luck, but you do not need it._

_Love always,  
Duke_

She folder the paper back up and clutched it in her hands. Daphne asked, "Ready?"

Viola said, "As ready as I can be."

They walked back to the room where Viola's lawyer was waiting. Before walking into the courtroom to sit down, Viola took a deep breath and made sure her letter was safely in her hand. Viola, her family, and her lawyer walked into the courtroom and directly to their seats. When the coach came walking into the room, Viola's breathing quickened, and she held onto her letter even tighter than before. Viola dared not look at him. She didn't want him to have that satisfaction. Once the judge entered the courtroom, and everyone was seated, the trial began. Opening arguments were intense, and the defense tried to paint a picture that the coach was an honorable man that just snapped. Viola, her friends, and her family were outraged by the defense's opening statement.

The prosecution held the reins of the trial for the following two weeks calling many psychiatrists, doctors, and witnesses. Before the prosecution rested, they had one more witness to put on the stand. It was finally Viola's turn to tell her story to everyone. It was now time for her to fully recount everything that the coach had done to her. Once she was sworn in, she sat down and clasped her hands together in nervousness. When she looked up and out into the crowd, Sebastian mouthed, "It's going to be okay."

Just as her lawyer was about to start, everyone turned as they heard the doors to courtroom open.


	24. Author's Note

Hey everyone….

I just wanted to let everyone know that no I have not forgotten about this story. In fact, this story keeps picking inches away at my brain everyday. Currently, I have been doing some reading just to gather some inspiration. Also, I have been doing research for the courtroom chapters of the story. The courtroom drama is exactly what is taking me so long to write the next few chapters. Do not lose faith for the story shall continue.

Thanks bunches…..

StarGlitz


	25. On the Witness Stand

**_Sorry for the long wait time, but here is the long awaited chapter. As a bonus for sticking around with me for this story, you're getting the next chapter too. I'd really appreciate it if I could crack the 100 review mark. Thanks bunches and can't wait to hear what you guys think._**Duke slowly and carefully walked into the courtroom and made his way to sit down next to Viola's family. Viola's eyes went wide at the site of her boyfriend limping down the middle of the courtroom. When Viola locked gaze with Duke, he smiled and said, "I love you."

* * *

She took a deep breath and was suddenly calm. When Coach Pistonek saw this, his blood boiled beneath his skin. Viola was on the stand for an entire week. Her lawyer had her recount every detail that she could remember from the day she was kidnapped until the present day. When she had to describe what happened inside the basement, this was the first time that her family and friends actually heard hard details about what actually happened to Viola. Viola's lawyer said, "Miss Hastings, starting from the first day when you were taken from the country club, please recount for the court the events that you can remember as best as you can."

This was the moment that Duke, Sebastian, and Justin had be dreading but also had been waiting for. Everyone wanted to know what had happened in that basement, but they were all too afraid to come out and ask Viola herself in fear that she would resent them for asking her about it. Viola took a deep breath and began, "Well, I remember I was at the debutante ball waiting for my friend to show up in hopes that he would be my escort for the ball. I was just about ready to go get dressed when I decided to go outside to get some air. While I was outside, I heard someone walking up behind. I thought it was my friend, but I saw that it was Coach Pistonek. He started talking about how he wanted me to come back to Cornwall, and how I had embarrassed both him and the team. Then he started touching my shoulder and saying how he regretted letting me go from Cornwall. When I tried to get away from him, he threw me down to the ground and straddled me. When I tried to scream, I remember him reaching for my head. The next thing I remember is waking up in the basement tied to a pole with my mouth taped shut. Then he started talking about how beautiful was, and I told him that he was a pervert. He then slapped me across the face. I remember days that he would come over to me with a towel in his hand, hold it up to my nose, and then I'd wake up later on with a new set of clothes on. All I would have to eat is a sandwich with a glass of water. I'd just sit there and think about how he saw me naked, and I didn't even know exactly what he did to me while I was passed out. I remember the first time he actually released me from the pole to go to the bathroom. I took the opportunity to try to escape through the window. But he heard me when I tried to push the window open. He came in and refused to release me from the pole ever again. So I was not allowed to go to the bathroom anymore. When I would bug him to let me go to the bathroom, he would respond with physical force. I remember when he would come home for the evening and find me in the basement with somewhat of a smile on my face, he'd say something about me thinking about him and our life together. I would tell him that I was thinking about what my life would be like with another guy, and then he'd kick me in the stomach."

Duke now knew that she had been thinking about him. He couldn't believe that he had been so close to her that night at the ball, and he just let her slip through his fingers. Viola continued, "As the last month passed by, everyday I'd ask God to just let me die. I couldn't imagine surviving another day in that basement. I couldn't see myself anymore. I just saw him. I couldn't see the people I cared about anymore. I just saw him. I could just see him doing anything imaginable while I was sleeping or unconscious. I chose not to see the next day anymore because all I could see was him. All I could see was the purple spots cover my blood stained skin. Crying was no longer an option because all my tears were wasted on thoughts I could no longer hope for."

Justin, Sebastian, Duke, and her family never knew that Viola had contemplated suicide. They couldn't believe that the thought had even crossed her mind. Viola took a deep breath in-between tears and said, "It wasn't until one day that I realized that I could actually slip out of my bindings. So I got my foot out and tried to run up the stairs to get out, but the door was locked. So I sat by the door waiting to hear any voice besides the coach's and ready to run back down the stairs at any moment. All of sudden, I heard a familiar voice, but it wasn't the coach's voice. I started screaming, and then I heard Justin. When Justin finally broke down the door, I realized that my hopes were coming true. I just fell into his arms, and he carried me out of the house. Now after seeing what he has done to my brother and my boyfriend, his actions almost caused me to return to his house. I didn't want anything bad happening to anyone else. I figured that if I could hold up for that long the first time, that I could do it for as long as it would take for him to leave my loved ones alone. I was almost to his house when the police found me. I wanted to die. I wanted to die at the thought of going to his house, and I wanted to die that way he would leave everyone alone."

Roger, Sebastian, Duke, and Justin wanted to just jump out of their seats and kill Coach Pistonek. Once the prosecution rested, it was time for the defense to rip her testimony to shreds. As the day came to a close and the defense was forced to stop their interrogation, Duke was almost foaming at the mouth. He just could not stand to watch his girlfriend cry. Viola basically ran out of the courtroom when the judge dismissed everyone, and Duke followed her. After walking outside, he saw her sitting underneath a tree. He walked over to her and heard her crying. Duke pulled her into his arms and said, "It'll be okay."

She asked, "How can you say that? Can't you hear what that guy is doing to me?"

He said, "It's just a bunch of hot air with no real facts. The jury can see that."

He paused for a moment and said, "I've missed you."

She took a deep breath and said, "I've missed you too."

He said, "I got an idea."

She asked, "What's that?"

He said, "Since we have the whole weekend ahead of us, let's get away and not even think about the trial. Let's go somewhere and have some real fun away from prying eyes."

She asked, "Really?"

He said, "Yes, and I know the perfect place."

She asked, "Where is that?"

He said, "It's a surprise."

She said, "Okay."

He said, "Alright then let's go back to your house and pack."

She smiled and said, "Okay."


	26. Us Time

So they went get into the awaiting car, and the driver drove them back to Viola's house. After packing the necessary items, Roger gave Duke the keys to his car, and the couple left for their weekend vacation. Duke left the top down to the car, and he saw that Viola genuinely loved having the wind blow through her hair. He saw remnants of the old Viola starting to slowly emerge, and he started to smile. That's when Duke knew that this was definitely what she needed.

A few hours later, Duke pulled into a driveway, and Viola asked, "Where are we?"

He said, "This is my family's lake house, and it is ours' for the whole weekend."

She said, "Cool."

He said, "Let's go."

So they grabbed their bags and headed inside. As Duke watched Viola walk up the stairs to the front door, he began to get nervous. Viola turned back to see her boyfriend still at the bottom of the stairs just looking at her. He loved the smile that was on her face. She asked, "What are you waiting for?"

He chuckled and said, "Okay, I'm coming."

Once they were inside and unpacked, Duke said, "Okay, I'm going to go pick up some groceries."

She said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

He said, "Alright."

About two hours later, they returned to the house and unpacked all the food. Viola could tell that Duke was nervous, but she couldn't put her finger on what. So while he was at the stove grilling some fish, she asked, "What are you so nervous about?"

He asked, "What do you mean?"

She said, "Well, I can obviously tell you're nervous because you're quiet."

He said, "Hmmm…"

She said, "Come on, you can tell me."

He said, "I am nervous."

She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and asked, "About what?"

He said, "Viola, you know you're the only girl I have ever been in love with."

She smiled against his back and said, "Yeah."

He said, "And you know how nervous I can be around girls."

She said, "But I'm not just any girl."

He turned around in her arms to face her and said, "I know, but I still have never been alone with a girl like this."

She giggled, and he asked, "What?"

She said, "Yes you have."

He arched his eyebrow and said, "No I haven't."

She asked, "Well, what about those two weeks I was in the dorm room with you?"

He chuckled and said, "That doesn't count because I thought you were a guy."

When she started laughing, he said, "Plus, I couldn't do this back then."

She asked, "Do what?"

He pushed the hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her. She pulled him away and said, "Yeah, that would've been a little weird. You kissing a boy and all."

He said, "Yeah, the team would have had loads to say about that."

She giggled and said, "Yeah…"

After giving her one more kiss, he finished cooking the food and placed their dinner on the table. They ate their food and then went sit on the couch. He asked, "So what do you want to do?"

She said, "I don't care. It's nice just to relax."

He said, "Yes it is."

As she closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder, she said, "I love just listening to the water outside."

He said, "Well let's go."

She asked, "Go where?"

He said, "Go put your swimsuit on. We're going out to the lake."

She said, "Duke, it's like ten o'clock at night."

He asked, "And you're point is?"

She said, "Uh, it's late."

He said, "I don't care; it's called sleeping in."

She said, "Alright, just let me go change."

He said, "I'll meet you outside."

She said, "Okay."

So she went into the bedroom and looked for her swimsuit. Meanwhile, Duke only took two minutes to change and then went out onto the back porch. A couple of minutes later, Viola walked out with a huge t-shirt covering up her body. Duke chuckled and asked, "What's that for?"

She just grabbed the shirt with her hands and bit down on her lip. He said, "You don't have to be shy in front of me. That's my role remember."

She smiled and said, "It's just that…"

He said, "No, I understand."

When Viola stepped closer to him, she noticed all the fading bruises on his body. She lightly ran her fingers over his bruised abs and asked, "Does it hurt?"

He said, "It does, but you make it feel better."

But Duke could still sense that she was still reserved about revealing her body. He pointed to his bruises and said, "Look, these are fading away just like yours did."

He paused for just a second and asked, "Do you love me now?"

She answer, "I love you always."

He asked, "No matter what?"

She said, "Yes, no matter what."

He said, "Well that goes for me too. I don't care how you look, I will always love you."

So she took a deep breath, faced her back towards him, and peeled off her shirt. Duke walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist. He gently ran his fingers over her stomach, and Viola began to melt into his arms. He then placed his head in the crook of her neck and whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Viola dropped her head back against his shoulder because her body was giving into his tempting ways. When she felt his lips touch her bare skin, she could barely hold back anymore. She whispered, "Do you have any clue what you do to me?"

He smiled against her skin and softly answered, "I hope it's something good?"

She said, "You have no idea."

Viola's body melted into her boyfriend's, and Duke felt her weakening. He lifted her into his arms and carried her down to the water. Once he placed Viola back on her feet, she finally turned around to face him head on. As he looked over her body that was just barely covered by a red and white bikini, he noticed that Viola was breathing heavily. He lifted her chin up with his finger and softly said, "Calm down. I love you, and I would never hurt you like he did. You're nothing but a vision of beauty in my eyes."

She smiled, and he said, "Good, I've missed that smile."

She giggled, and he leant down to place a soft, sensual kiss on her lips. Duke took her hand, and they both ran into the water.

After their relaxing weekend was over, they packed their things and headed back home. Duke asked, "So, how you feeling?"

Viola answered, "Much better. Thank you."

Duke said, "No problem, it was my pleasure."

She leaned over and gave him a kiss, and they pulled into the driveway of Viola's house an hour later. When Viola walked into the house, Sebastian noticed that his sister seemed the calmest she had ever been since returning home. Sebastian asked, "So Vi, how was your weekend?"

She wrapped her arms around Duke, looked up into his eyes, and responded, "Wonderful."

Duke kissed her on the forehead and went bring all of their bags upstairs to Viola's room. Sebastian pulled his sister into a hug and said, "I'm glad to see you happy again."

She said, "Me too. I wish it could be like this forever…"

He asked, "What's wrong?"

She said, "Tomorrow, I'm just going to be put back up on that stand again. I don't even want to begin to imagine what the defense is going to throw at me."

He said, "You can't worry about that right now. Just let that happen tomorrow. No matter what they throw at you, the jury sees that he's a creep. The evidence alone, even without your testimony, is enough to lock that guy up for a long time."

Duke then came running down the stairs and asked, "Anyone up for a game?"

Viola saw the soccer ball in his hands, and she pulled Sebastian out to the backyard with Duke following them. Until it was time for dinner, they kicked the ball around the backyard. When Olivia showed up, she was also pulled into the game. Dinner time came, and the group headed inside to eat with Sebastian and Viola's parents. Once everyone was done, board games were pulled out and played until everyone decided it was time to go to sleep.


	27. Next Witness Please

The next morning, Duke was the first one up. So he went downstairs to fix he and his girlfriend some breakfast. After finishing up, he put everything on a tray and walked upstairs. He sat down at the edge of the bed and slightly nudged Viola's leg. She slowly sat up and bed and said, "Hey cutie."

He said, "Hey sweetheart. I have breakfast for us."

She said, "Awe…"

Once they were finished eating, he said, "Okay, I'm going to go take care of the dishes while you get ready."

She asked, "Do I have to?"

He gave her a kiss and said, "Yes, you do."

Everyone dressed in their based and got into Roger's car to drive to court. On the ride there, Viola held Duke's hand. As they got closer and closer, he felt her grip tighten. He looked over to her, kissed her wrist, and whispered, "No worries. You'll do fine."

She said, "I don't know if I'm ready for another day of the defense calling me a liar."

He said, "Look, everyone knows that you're telling the truth. The only reason why that guy is trying to beat you down in there is because he is being paid to do it. Deep down, I believe he knows that Coack Pistonek is guilty. I don't see how anyone can look at the evidence and say otherwise. That guy is a sick creep. All you have to do is worry about telling the truth and taking care of yourself."

She took a deep breath and said, "I only wish it were that easy."

He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her close. He said, "I know."

That day was just another eventful day in the courtroom that brought Viola to tears again. In fact, the whole week began to take its toll on Viola. After watching her brother, her boyfriend, and Olivia take the stand, she started to believe what Duke had told her in the car. Deep down, she knew there was no way that the coach would not be convicted. Her confidence was starting to rebuild. Before Thursday's session timed out, the prosecution finally rested its case and handed the reins over to the defense attorney. That Friday, the defense attorney called these so-called "experts" onto the stand to try to backup his theories to protect his client. It wouldn't be until Monday that Coach Pistonek himself would take the stand in his own defense.

Monday finally arrived, and everyone was nervous about going to court. Viola was just terrified, and no one would ever blame her for it. Roger, Duke, and Sebastian were worried if they would be able to contain themselves for wanting to kill the creep, and Daphne and Olivia were just worried about everyone. That morning, Duke had to put more effort into pulling Viola out of bed. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to go, but he knew she had to. He knew that she needed to face her fears head on. He knew she would have no chance of moving on if she didn't hear the lies coming from her attacker's mouth. She had been brought to tears so many times, and he knew what would come next. Next would be the anger. He welcomed it; he wanted her to get angry. Viola needed to let the anger out.

Once court was called into session, the defense lawyer announced, "I call Coach Pistonek to the stand."

After he was sworn in and took his seat on the witness stand, Viola took a deep breath and prepared herself for the worst. Then the lawyer asked, "Coach Pistonek, would please recall the events that took place on the evening of November fourteenth?

He said, "Well, two weeks before that evening, I had received an invitation to the Debutante Ball in the mail. I just threw it away knowing that I knew no one there that wanted me to go. At the soccer game, Viola asked me if I had received the invitation. She said she wanted me there so that I could see her all dressed up like a woman. Like the woman I wanted in my life. I told her it would be wrong for me to be there. But she refused to hear no for an answer. When I got to the country club that night, I contemplated leaving a dozen times before I got out of my car. Then I saw Viola walking outside by the lake, I decided that I would go tell her that I would not be staying. I told her that I was leaving, and she got mad at me. She didn't understand that I felt uncomfortable to be there. I also told her that I could never date one of my students. Then she started to kick me. I tried to stop her gently, but she just wouldn't listen. So I walked away and drove off in my car. The next morning when I woke up, I heard some noise coming from my basement. When I went down there, I saw her chained to a pole that was in the middle of the room. She told me that she wasn't going to leave until I agreed to date her and be with her."

The coach continued to answer the questions and disburse more lies. As Duke watched his girlfriend take in what the coach was saying, his fist started to clench. He was waiting for her to either breakdown and cry or scream at the top of her lungs. But she just sat there, still as a statue taking it all in. Duke couldn't stand it. How could she not react to such lies?

For two days, Viola just sat there listening to everything the coach said. When the family would go home at night, Viola did not say a thing. She was unusually quiet, and she was starting to scare everyone. One night after dinner, Duke walked into Viola's room to find her sitting on her bed reading a book. He asked, "Hey sweetie, how are you holding up?"

Without looking up from her book, she bluntly said, "Okay."

He said, "Viola…"

She looked up at him and asked, "What?"

He said, "Baby, you have to be feeling something about all of this. I don't like this numbness that I'm getting from you."

When she didn't respond, he said, "Viola, this is driving me insane. You must be feeling something."

She didn't respond again. She just kept reading her book. Duke had been wrong. Anger wasn't the next stage. Viola was currently in a state of shock. A state that had shocked her into silence. After realizing that he wasn't going to get anything out of his girlfriend, he left her alone and headed downstairs to sleep on the couch. He couldn't understand why Viola was acting the way she was. Everyone was ready to kill the man, everyone except for his victim. As Duke tried to go to sleep on the couch, he wondered if the coach wasn't manipulating Viola one final time. He tried to figure out if his girlfriend's mind was somewhere else. Duke's mind was not resting that night. Finally, he couldn't stand it. He slipped back into his jeans, grabbed his helmet and keys, and went out to take a ride.

He had missed the freedom of the road. It had been such a long time since he had been able to ride his bike. He didn't know where he was going, and at this point he didn't care. He just needed to get away from all the chaos of the trial. He couldn't understand any of it. He had just gotten back the old Viola just one week ago, yet she had already disappeared. Could what the coach was saying be true? Could Viola have truly wanted to be with the coach instead of him? Up until now, Duke would have never believed those thoughts. But now he wasn't so sure. His girlfriend's state of mind was scaring him to death. It was scaring him to believe the lies.

The following morning when everyone was gearing up to leave for another day in court, Sebastian asked, "Where's Duke?'

Roger said, "I don't know."

Viola came down the stairs and asked, "You don't know what?"

Sebastian asked, "Where's your boyfriend?"

She said, "He should be down here somewhere."

Roger said, "Well he's not."

Daphne chimed in, "Well his bike's not here. He must be meeting us there."

As everyone walked to the car, Sebastian couldn't help but wonder why Viola wasn't more worried about her boyfriend's whereabouts. In fact, that was the last time that morning that Duke was even mentioned. So that made Sebastian worry even more. He was now beginning to think exactly like Duke was. Was the coach once again taking hold of Viola's mind? Sebastian shook that thought out of his head and got into the car.

Today would be the last day that the coach was on the witness stand. Once he walked off and took his seat next to his attorney. The doors of the courtroom flew open as the defense geared up to announce its next witness. When Viola saw who walked through the doors, she was pulled out of her state of shock and pulled into a state of utter confusion.

* * *

**Hmmm....wonder who it could be. Viola's going through a bunch of emotional stages right now, and where is Duke? Geez, so much is going on. Anyways, let me know how I'm doing. Thanks to all you guys that are sticking around and writing reviews. Your reviews actually make me keep going. **


	28. What the Hell?

**_Sorry for the long wait and sorry for this being so short, but I will make up for it in the next chapter. Please read and review....I only got a few left until the big 100._**

* * *

There at the entrance to the courtroom stood Monique. Viola looked at Sebastian and whispered, "What the hell is she doing here?"

Sebastian just shrugged his shoulders and watched his ex-girlfriend walk to the front of the room and take a sit behind where the coach was sitting. Then the defense lawyer stated, "Your honor, I'd like to call my next witness, Miss Monique Valentine."

As Monique walked over to the witness stand, Sebastian kept a close eye on her, but he was keeping a closer eye on his sister. No one ever saw this coming. Sebastian thought, "What is she doing here?"

After being sworn in, Monique took a seat, and the defense lawyer stood up to start his questioning. He asked, "Miss Valentines, how do you know Miss Hastings?"

She answered, "She and I used to go to the same school. I also used to date her brother, Sebastian."

He asked, "While in high school, did Miss Hastings ever display some odd behaviors?"

She said, "Oh yes. At the beginning of our senior year, she pretended to be her twin brother for two weeks. She dressed liked him, talked like him, and even went to Illyria pretending to be him. All she wanted to do was play soccer. Since she wasn't allowed to play at Cornwall, I guess she figured she could win a spot at Illyria."

He asked, "Why wasn't she allowed to play at Cornwall?"

Monique said, "Well, everyone there knew that Viola has always had a thing Coach Pistonek. Once one of the students let him know about it, I guess he just figured it would be in the best interest for both of them."

He asked, "Why would it be in their best interest?"

She said, "Because Viola was always throwing herself at him. That's the only reason why she was trying to join the boys' team at Cornwall. Since the coach wouldn't let her, she wanted to make him mad by going play for the rival team."

He asked, "So how would you explain Miss Hastings being found in the coach's house?"

She said, "Easy. Viola locked herself down there when Coach Pistonek told her he could be nothing more than a teacher to her. She wanted him and was going to do anything to be with him, including forcing him to have sex with her."

That's when the anger started to boil within Viola. As Monique continued to tell nothing but lies on the stand, Viola had a death grip on the arms of her chair. The defense asked his final question, "Miss Valentine, why do you think Miss Hastings has brought all of us here today?"

Monique answered, "Because she's hurt. She's hurt that the coach doesn't want her. She's mad because she got caught. She wanted some attention, and now she is getting all the attention she wants."

At that very moment, the anger within Viola finally boiled over. She threw her chair back, stood up, and screamed, "What the hell are you talking about! You know I never wanted that! Just because my brother doesn't want your stupid ass doesn't mean you need to come after me!"

As she continued to scream, Sebastian jumped over the gate and pulled his sister into his arms to quiet her done. Then Viola's lawyer stood up and asked, "Your honor, may I request a recess?"

The judge granted his request, and Sebastian rushed his sister out of the courtroom. Once they, the lawyer, and the family were locked away from the public, Viola screamed, "What the hell is going on? She is just lying!"

Sebastian said, "We know, but you have got to control yourself in there. Outbursts like that are not good Vi."

Viola asked, "What the hell is she doing here?"

Her lawyer said, "It's the defense's one attempt to try to create doubt in the jurors' minds. But it's not going to happen because she's only one person. "

Then as Viola began to look around, she noticed that one crucial person was missing from the group. She asked, "Hey, where's Duke?"

When she saw the looks on everyone's faces just drop, she asked, "What's wrong? Where is he?"

Sebastian said, "We don't know Viola. When we all left this morning, he and his motorcycle were gone. We tried asking you…"

She said, "Oh yeah. But why would he have left me?"

Daphne walked over to her daughter and said, "I don't know sweetheart, but he'll come back."

As the day in court continued to pass by, all Viola could think about was Duke. She thought about the past few days and realized how her mood had so drastically changed. After all the courtroom drama was finished for the week, Viola decided she needed some time to herself and away from everyone. So she hopped in her car and drove to North Carolina. She went settle back into her old room and headed out to the soccer field. As much as she tried to relax and kick the ball around, her head was elsewhere. She was worrying too much about Duke. She couldn't understand why he hadn't called her to let her know where he was and what was wrong.

Saturday evening as Viola was walking out of the local deli, she heard, "Why's a pretty little thing like you alone on a Saturday night?"


	29. And So It Begins Again

**_Sorry so long for the update. It took me a little while on where to head with this one, and you're in for a surprise. Thanks to my reviewers that are sticking with me and leaving me such wonderful and funny reviews (I love the Coach Pies and hospital ones). _**Viola turned her head to see Justin standing in the alley. She asked, "Justin, what are you doing here?"

* * *

He said, "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Are you okay?"

She said, "I don't know where he is."

He said, "I figured that's why you wanted to really get away. I went over to the dorms, and he wasn't there. Thought I'd go ahead and check for you."

She said, "Thanks."

He said, "No problem. Come on, let me drive you home."

She said, "Alright."

As he was dropping her off in front of her apartment building, he said, "Don't worry, he'll come back. They always do…"

She smiled and said, "Thanks Justin. I'll see you back at home."

He smiled and said, "Okay."

She said, "Tell Julia I said hey."

He laughed and said, "I will."

She said, "And if Duke happens to come back…tell him, tell him I love him, and I'm sorry."

He said, "Don't worry, I will."

She gave him a hug and headed up to her room. As Viola walked up the stairs to her place, she wanted nothing more than to have her cell-phone ring and hear Duke's special ringtone. Viola was just putting her key into the lock when she heard, "Hello Viola…"

She turned in the direction the voice had came from and found herself face to face with Monique. Viola asked, "How the hell did you get my address? And what the hell are you doing here?"

She smiled and answered, "Oh it's so easy to get your address. You're very much a wanted person Viola. With all the attention you've gotten from pulling that fake act of yours, it wasn't very hard to find out where you were."

Viola said, "He told you…"

She said, "Well of course. Just because he can't get anywhere near you doesn't mean he is forever gone. Coach Pistonek is a very loving man. I can't imagine my life without him. But unfortunately, you're about to ruin that for us. And if it's you he wants, then it's you he's going to get."

Monique then swung her purse around and hit Viola in the head. Once Viola hit the floor, Monique now had to get her out to the car. After emptying out the bricks in her purse, she threw it over her shoulder and dragged Viola over to the elevator by pulling her legs.

A few hours later, Viola awoke with a very painful headache. When she went to bring her hand up to her head, she realized that she could not move her arms. Discovering that she couldn't move her legs either, she realized she had to be tied down to a chair since she was sitting on something. Unfortunately she couldn't see anything since there was a blindfold masking her vision. Viola started to squirm around to try to free herself, but she stopped when she heard someone enter the room. She yelled, "Who's there?"

Monique just laughed and said, "Oh calm down Viola. You do remember that it was me at your apartment last night. You know, you never fail to amaze me. First, you get your brother to stop dating me. Then you land Illyria's hottest guy. None of that was enough for you. You just had to go after Pistonek. You have taken everything away from me. But after I'm through with you, no one is going to want you."

Viola opened her mouth to say something, but she realized it was better just to remain quiet. Monique said, "You must be wondering what I have planned. Well my dear Viola, you will just have to wait and see. Although, what Pistonek did to you will seem like nothing when comparing what I'm going to do."

Viola choked back her nervousness and prepared to endure whatever torture Monique inflicted upon her. Monique said, "First, we're going to document this little journey we're about to take."

Monique walked over to the camcorder she had set up and pressed record. She said, "For all you viewers at home, here sits Viola Hastings. Remember her for how she looks now, for she will not look this way for long. Viola, why don't you say a couple of things to the viewers at home?"

Viola just stayed silent. She was not going to stoop to the level that Monique wanted her to. Monique continued, "Well, since out little "miss center of attention" is becoming a bit camera shy I'll just continue. Here before sits Viola Hastings. She is here to admit that she is making up everything about Coach Pistonek. All along Viola was just jealous because he didn't want her; he wanted me. But because she has brought him into the whole trial thing, she has him jaded. He believes he only wants her, not me. Well, I've brought her here to show him that he's wrong. She's worth nothing…she is nothing!"

As tears began to roll down Viola's face, Monique walked behind her. She was concealing something in her hands behind her back. After Monique was behind her, Viola heard the slice of a pair of scissors. Monique gripped a bunch of Viola's hair in her free hand and began to cut. The next ten minutes seemed like nothing but torture to Viola, but she never muttered even the tiniest of sounds. Once Viola was left with nothing but a shaggy, short haircut and bald spots, Monique said, "See…nothing."

Then she walked over to the camera and turned it off. She came back, kissed Viola on the cheek, and said, "Sweet dreams. You're family is going to enjoy this."

Monique pulled the video out of the camera and headed out of the room. Viola heard four locks distinctly be latched. She whispered, "Not again. Why me? What have I done wrong?"


	30. The Evening News

That Monday when Viola didn't return home, Roger got on his cellphone and tried calling his daughter. When she didn't pick up her cellphone, a sudden fear sent a chill down his spine. Daphne saw this and asked, "Roger, what's wrong?"

He answered, "Viola…she isn't answering her cell phone."

Daphne asked, "Do you think something has happened to her?"

He said, "I hope not."

Then Sebastian came down the stairs and asked, "Where's Viola?"

Roger said, "She hasn't gotten home yet, and she's not answering her cellphone."

Then Sebastian asked, "Has anyone seen or heard from Duke?"

Daphne said, "Not yet. I've been tempted to call his parents and see if they have heard from him. I'm already starting to worry about Viola, I don't want to worry about him too."

Sebastian said, "Right. Well I'm heading out; call me if you hear from either one of those two."

A few days rolled by, and still no one had heard from either one of the teenagers.

* * *

The Christmas tree was all lit up with wrapped gifts beneath it, and the fireplace was glowing right beside it. Across the room, the TV was on. She said, "This is Amanda Gaines reporting live from outside the county courthouse. It was only six months ago that the trial of Viola Hastings versus Coach Pistonek began. The case of a young teenage girl, kidnapped right outside of her debutante ball by her soccer coach. After many months of being locked and tortured inside his basement, she was rescued, and Coach Pistonek was arrested. Yet here we are today, and this case is still not closed. Just a few weeks into the trial, Viola Hastings left to go on a weekend trip North Carolina University. It was just outside her dormitory where she was last reported as being seen. Her ex-boyfriend and good friend, Justin Drayton, was the last person to have seen her before she entered her dormitory. But what makes this case take a turn for the worse is now her boyfriend, Duke Orsino, is also currently missing. He was last seen at the Hastings' residence the same week of Viola's disappearance. Coach Pistonek has been interviewed about these disappearances, and he has also taken a polygraph test which seems to exclude him as a suspect from this case."

A picture of both Duke and Viola flashed on the screen, and the reporter continued, "If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Duke Orsino or Viola Hastings, please contact your local authorities. The families are asking for any information that will lead to the safe rescue of their children. Any information, small as it may be could be the break in this case."

Sebastian said, "Please help me Viola. Please help me to figure out where you are."

Roger said, "I just want that creep and the other creep who has her right now both in jail."

* * *

**_thanks for sticking around....i promise more chapters will be coming very soon. _**


	31. Merry Christmas, Part One

_**It's been a long time, but I've finally broken through my writer's block on this story. I know this one is short, but I will be putting my other story on hold while I finish this one. **_

* * *

On Christmas day, she finally returned after disappearing for two weeks. Monique's disappearances were common nowadays. Every so often she would disappear for a week, maybe more. Viola's body was quickly starting to weaken again. Everytime Monique would disappear, Viola would be left in the dark room which had no windows. Viola's brain was no more. Where there was one a smart girl, not sat a girl whose mind had completely failed her. Viola didn't know anything anymore. She didn't know her left from her right, and she couldn't even tell her body how to move anymore. Everything was just shutting down on her. The only part of her that was surviving was her heart. Her heart was still Duke's. Since it was his, there was no way anyone but him was going to be able to harm it.

After walking into the room, Monique said, "Well hello Viola and Merry Christmas. I see you haven't been too busy in my absence."

Viola's eyes looked up at Monique, and anyone could've see that the life was drained out of them. Monique said, "Well you should be happy because I have brought you a little gift. It's just in the other room."

Monique swung open the door and turned the light on to the other room. There she saw Duke, sitting on couch. Monique walked into the room and over towards Duke. As Viola's brain was processing what was before her, Monique made the situation even worse. She said, "Duke here has something to tell you. Go ahead sweetie."

As Viola's breathing started to get slow and heavy, he said, "I didn't know where you were, and Monique was there to comfort me. She told me about what really happened between you and the coach. I just couldn't understand how you could like that. As the months passed, she and I fell in love. And now, she's going to have my baby."

Viola then looked over at Monique, and she saw that evil smile spread across her face as she leaned down to kiss Duke on the cheek. She said, "Yes, and we just found out it's going to be a little girl. Our little baby Violet."

Viola didn't even have the energy to cry or scream over the news. She just turned her head to the side and looked away. In the end, she had been holding on to life for nothing. Now truly, everything was gone. Everyone had slowly taken every little thing away from her. Duke said, "Honey, just let her go. She probably won't even make it down the stairs. Plus, she'll be too scared to tell anyone that it was you because then she'll just have to deal with me."

She said, "But Dukie, she's my pet."

He said, "I know, but it's not healthy for the baby to be around that thing. If you let her go, I'll get you something really pretty."

She asked, "Like what?"

He said, "Like that engagement ring you've been wanting."

That was the last straw. Viola didn't want to hear anything further. She wanted nothing more than for her life to end right there. Monique giggled and ran over to Viola. She untied her and said, "Get out of my house and stay the hell away from us you trash."

But Viola didn't move; she couldn't move. Her body had finally given up on her. She didn't understand why she hadn't just died right there in the chair. She didn't understand how her heart was still beating. Duke had just done the unthinkable. He had just denied his love for her. As Duke stood up from the couch, he said, "Don't worry honey, I'll throw that trash out myself."


	32. Merry Christmas, Part Two

Duke walked into the room, picked Viola up out of the chair, and began to walk out of the apartment complex. She didn't even want to look at the man that said he had loved her. The man she loved had just betrayed her and stabbed her in the heart. The man she loved had just killed her. But as he carried her, Viola felt something strange. There was a strange indention between his chest and abdomen. When she looked up at his face, she saw that he was scared and worried. When she went to run her hand to feel what the difference was, she was shocked to feel the hardness of some type of metal box. As soon as Duke set her down on the ground outside, she lifted his shirt to see what had been scaring him. She said, "Oh my god! That's why you said what you said up there."

He nodded his head slowly, and tears began to fall from his eyes. A bomb had been strapped to his waist. He said, "Just get out of here. I want you to be safe. Knowing that you are alive and safe is all that matters to me."

She said, "I won't go without you."

With more tears streaming down his face, he pleaded, "Viola, please just leave."

Tears finally began to fall from her eyes, and she said, "No! I'm not leaving you."

He begged, "Please. I want you to be safe. I will find a way out of this. We don't have much time. Get out of here before she realizes what I have done."

She whispered, "I will come back for you. I will save you."

He whispered, "I love you. I have never stopped loving you."

She whispered, "I love you too."

As soon as Duke was back in the building, Viola took off running as best as she could to the nearest building. She burst through doors of a local boutique and demanded a phone. But just as she began to dial the number, she collapsed onto the floor. The sales clerk rushed to call for an ambulance, and a customer began to administer CPR on Viola.

When Viola finally awoke, she found herself tossing and turning in a hospital bed. A few seconds later, a nurse came walking in. The nurse, "I'm glad to see you're awake now sweetheart."

She asked, "Where am I?"

She responded, "At the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

That's when everything came rushing back. The nurse had trouble understanding everything Viola was saying as everything just blended together. The nurse said, "Okay sweetheart. Let's take this one thing at a time. First off, what is your name?"

She answered, "Viola Hastings."

The nurse said, "Oh my…you're the girl they have been searching for. Hang on honey, I'm going to alert the nurse's station so that they may alert the authorities."

No less that twenty minutes later, the police had arrived at the hospital. One of the officers said, "We have someone on the way to your parents' house to notify them that you have been found. Now Miss Hastings, are you able to answer some questions right now?"

She frantically said, "NO! My boyfriend, Duke Orsino, is still in danger. She has him trapped, and she has a bomb strapped to him."

The officer asked, "Who does?"

She answered, "Monique Valentine. Her apartment is located across the street from the boutique where I passed out at. Please you have to save him!"

As soon as she had mentioned bomb and the location, the officer was on his walkie talkie alerting all troopers in the area to report to the scene. He said, "Miss Hastings, we have posted an officer at your door around the clock. We are going to do our best to save your boyfriend. All officers are on their way to the apartment, and the chief has made a call to the S.W.A.T. team. The best thing for you to do is try to calm down."

But how could Viola calm down? Thirty minutes later, the anxiety and panic had ceased to desist, and so the nurse came in and administered anesthesia in Viola's IV that made her to go sleep.

Less than twenty minutes later, Monique's apartment complex was surrounded. S.W.A.T. team members were everywhere. The negotiator was on the phone with Monique, and Duke sat next to her sweating profusely. Monique held the phone in one hand and the detonator in the other. Duke consciously watched her fingers to see if and when she was going to press the button that would set off the bomb. During this time, he was also praying for everything. He was also saying a peaceful goodbye to everything. He was saying goodbye to the love of his life.

Four hours into the standoff, no progress had been made. Duke asked, "What will it take Monique? What will it take for you to let me go?"

She said, "I want her to suffer. I want her to feel as much pain as I have felt. She took everything away from me. First, she convinced her jerk of a brother to leave me. I never loved him, but that was where it all started. Then I finally fell in love with the Coach. But your girlfriend had to go and ruin that. She tricked him into falling in love with her. Then she had the audacity to accuse him of kidnapping her, raping her, and abusing her. You see, it's all her fault that I have no one. Revenge is sweet though because now she will know what it feels like. She now knows what it feels like to lose the one you love."

Duke said, "But why do you want someone else to suffer to? Why do you want me to suffer like you do? Is that really fair?"

She said, "Life's not fair."

He said, "I know that. Trust me, I know what your pain is like. I have had to suffer through all of her lies too. But we can try and get through this together. We have each other now. We can help each other. Now please, just give me the detonator."

As tears started flowing down her face, her hand slowly inched towards his. Once the device was in Duke's hand, police informed everyone to move in. Within five minutes, S.W.A.T. team members were inside the apartment. Monique was the first person they went after. They handcuffed her and escorted her off to an awaiting police car. Then they began work on disarming the bomb that was attached to Duke. After the bomb was safely disarmed, Duke was quickly transported to hospital for some tests. Throughout the entire time, he was anxiously waiting to see his girlfriend. When the doctors could no longer keep him still, they allowed him to go see Viola.

He opened the door and slowly walked to her bedside. Duke looked over his girlfriend from head to toe. He hadn't truly noticed all the physical wear and tear that Monique had done to her. He noticed that her hair had been jaggedly cut, her body was really thin, and that bruises were scattered everywhere. After seeing all of this, he couldn't even begin to imagine what she had looked like after what the Coach had did to her. As he pulled the chair across the floor to sit down beside her, he noticed Viola twist her head to the other direction. She must have heard the noise. He said, "Viola…."

Then she twisted her head back towards him, and he noticed her hand slowly opened up from the fist it was in. Once he placed his hand inside of hers, she clasped her fingers around his hand. Duke smiled and said, "I'm here baby, and I'm okay. You just need to get better now."

As soon as her eyes opened, Viola saw Duke beside her bed. Tears immediately started to fall from her eyes, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

She asked, "Are you really here?"

He smiled and said, "Yes."

She said, "I'm scared."

He asked, "Of what?"

She said, "That it isn't over. That you'll be taken away from me. That we'll never be together."

He kissed her hand and said, "Sweetie, no. This will never happen again. The cops have the Coach, and now they have Monique. There is no way they are ever going to get to either one of us or anyone else ever again."

Viola asked, "Really?"

He smiled and said, "Really."

Duke then gently placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her for the first time in weeks.


	33. The Verdict Is In

**So it's been a while, but I have been thankful for all the continuing reviews I keep receiving for this story. So Happy Thanksgiving everyone! **

* * *

Once both Duke and Viola were released from the hospital, the returned home to Illyria. A welcome-home party was waiting for them at Viola's parents' house. Duke's parents even managed to attend. Viola was a bit nervous having to meet Duke's parents under the extenuating circumstances, but he assured her that his parents would love her no matter what. And they did. Duke's parents were smitten with her. They couldn't believe how a girl that had been through so much could still be so strong willed. They also loved that their only son was no longer lonely. They loved that not only was Duke taking care of Viola, but that Viola was taking care of Duke. Duke's parents could tell that he had found the one. Once both Duke and Viola's parents got to talking, they couldn't help but bring up the idea of a wedding being sometime in the future. The idea thrilled both families, but Viola's parents couldn't help but worry about if anything would happen when that day would approach.

Two months later, Coach Pistonek's trial resumed. After the incident with Monique, the judge had her testimony thrown out. Two weeks later, both sides presented their closing arguments. They jury was then sequestered, and all everyone could do was wait. While waiting outside the courtroom, no one could separate Duke and Viola. They both sat on a bench, and Duke held his girlfriend as close as humanly possible to him. Viola said, "Duke, you ease up a little bit. I'm not going anywhere."

He said, "I know. I just don't want to let you go ever again. I'm thinking about transferring colleges to be with you."

Viola said, "No, I won't let you do that. You deserve to be at Wake Forest."

He said, "But I don't want to be away from you."

She said, "And I don't want to be away from you either, but I will not destroy your college career. Don't worry, we're not far away from each other."

He asked, "Is it wrong for me to be scared to be away from you?"

She smiled and said, "No, not with what we have been through. But we've got to be able to move forward from all of this. I've got to know that I can do something on my own without fear, and so do you. You've got to trust in me and just have faith that at the end of the day everything will be okay."

Duke asked, "When did you become so optimistic?"

She answered, "When I realized just how strong my love for life and for you is. When you told me you would have died for me, I knew then I would have done the same for you. I need to trust that you will always be there no matter, and you need to trust that I will always be here. I need to know that even when we are separated that we will still see each other and be together at the end of any day."

He said, "I understand."

Then he took hold of Viola's hand and asked, "But is it wrong that I'm selfish and want to see you each and every day?"

She giggled and said, "Nope because once college is over I plan on being with you as much as possible."

He smiled and leaned over to give his girlfriend and sweet kiss. Duke said, "I love you."

Viola said, "I love you too."

He said, "No matter what happens in there, I will always be here to protect you."

She said, "I know."

It only took two hours for the jury to reach a verdict. Once it was announced that the jury did reach their verdict, everyone piled into the courtroom. Viola sat at the prosecutor's table, and Duke sat right behind her. While waiting for the foreman to hand over the verdict, Viola reached back, and Duke held out his hand to her. He knew she was nervous because he could feel the tension in her hand. When the judge handed the verdict back to the foreman, Duke noticed that Viola had stopped breathing. He whispered, "Breathe Viola."

She looked over her shoulder at him and pleaded to him with her eyes. She focused her attention back on the foreman as he read, "We the jury find the defendant guilty on all charges."

As soon as he said guilty, Viola finally let out a deep breath and tears formed in her eyes. Then Duke literally pulled Viola out of her chair and into a hug. She whispered, "Is it truly happening?"

He smiled and whispered, "Yes. He's guilty baby. He's finally going to be out of our lives."

She whispered, "I love you so much."

He whispered, pushed the hair out of her face, brushed away her tears, and whispered, "And I love you so much more."

As soon as the sentence was announced, Duke and Viola's family quickly rushed her out of the courtroom and courthouse. Once they arrived at Viola's parents' house, Duke swept Viola off her feet and spun her around. They both laughed, and Viola said, "It's finally over."

Duke said, "Yes it is."

Sebastian popped the cork off a bottle of champagne and said, "And that calls for a celebration."

* * *

**_I know this is short and sweet, but I figured we'd all be full from the Thanksgiving day meals and Black Friday shopping. More to come and please continue to review. _**


	34. Celebrate!

_**Hopefully this little cliffhanger can hold you over until I have the next chapter completed.**_

* * *

Once everyone had a glass of champagne in their hand, Sebastian said, "I'd like to toast to my sister. Throughout everything she has been through, her spirit has never truly been broken. Viola you give us all hope that we will have the same strength and courage as you have when we possibly face obstacles in our life. I would also like to toast to Justin for saving my sister's life that day. We are forever in your debt."

Viola said, "And I would like to toast to you all for being there every step of the way and never losing hope in me. And for loving me unconditionally."

Everyone smiled and looked at each other as they all raised their glasses and sipped their champagne. Afterwards, the group headed into the dining room to have dinner. Dessert was passed around after everyone had finished dinner. Then one of the guys stood up and said, "There is also another reason to celebrate. I would like to ask this lovely lady if she would like to be my wife?"

* * *

**_Hmm...I wonder who's going to be getting married? More to come soon..._**


	35. Who Said Yes?

The entire group turned to see Sebastian on one knee right next to Olivia. She asked, "Sebastian, are you sure? This is so sudden."

He said, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You have been there for me through thick and thin, and I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Olivia, will you marry me?

As she covered her mouth in shock and began to cry, she nodded her head, and Sebastian placed the ring on her finger. When he stood up, she jumped into his arms and kissed him. The couple then turned to see everyone else cheering them on. Viola said, "Have to admit bro, I didn't think you had it in you."

Duke asked, "You knew?"

Viola said, "Of course. I am his twin sister! We have that twin telepathy thing going on."

Duke asked, "Oh really?"

She answered, "Duh…"

He said, "I'd like to put that telepathy theory to the test."

She asked, "How?"

He said, "Well, Sebastian has another secret. Think your twin telepathy can figure it out?"

Viola said, "Of course."

She turned to Sebastian and said, "Alrighty bro, think about that secret really hard."

Sebastian smiled and said, "I'm thinking about it right now."

Viola pursed her lips together and continued to stare Sebastian down. She was going to prove her point. While she was lost in thought, she felt Duke take hold of her hand. But he was also holding onto something inside his hand. He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Anything yet?"

She scrunched her eyes closed and said, "Sebastian, help me out here."

He said, "I don't think you're going to figure this one out with my help."

She yelled, "It's because you're not thinking about it."

He said, "You're right. I'm actually watching it happen right before me."

She opened her eyes and asked, "What?"

Viola then felt Duke tug on her hand. She turned to face him, but he was kneeling down on the ground. When she removed her hand from his, she saw a ring in the palm of his hand. Her hand immediately went up to her mount in shock as Duke said, "Viola, you know I'm not a man of many words. Yet, you seem to make it so easy for me to express my feelings. I have never met anyone like you. No girl has ever been able to capture my mind and my heart the way that you have. My heart will never belong to anyone other than you. Please say that you'll be my wife and spend the rest of your life with me?"

As tears flowed down her face, everyone waited for her answer. She knelt on the ground beside him. She whispered, "But I'm so damaged Duke. That man took everything away from me. Why would you want to spend the rest of your life with me rather than someone who is…"

Duke wiped away her tears and said, "I can't take back what happened to you. I can't take back what happened to us. But I can promise to be there through thick an thin, and I want to be the man that helps you. I want to be the man that loves you and protects you. I cannot see my life without you. I want to hold in you in my arms for the rest of forever. Viola, that man did not take everything from you. I'm still here, and I still love you. Baby, he could never take that away."

Sebastian walked up behind Viola, knelt beside her, and said, "If you say no, you will be letting that man take everything from you. The one thing that he was never able to get a hold of was your heart."

Duke said, "And I will protect your heart even more so than you have protected mine."

Viola muffled, "But Duke…"

He smiled and said, "I will not take no for answer. Viola I will love you any which way I can have you. I will love you when you feel damaged, happy, mad, sad, irrational…I will always love YOU! I love everything about you."

She said, "And I love you…."

Sebastian lingered, "So…"

Viola said, "Yes, I would love to be your wife."

Viola then watched as he slid the ring on her finger. It was a simple white gold band with a round center diamond surrounded by purple amethysts. She said, "It's beautiful."

As he leaned over to kiss his future bride, Viola's mom screamed, "And I have the perfect dress!"

Then everyone in the room busted out into laughter.


End file.
